The Artifact
by Ognonamis
Summary: After the team comes in contact with a small artifact, odd things begin to happen to Colonel Sheppard. Chapter 17 is up FINALLY! Please, read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of the original characters.

_Please read and review. I'd really appreciate it._

It was a normal day on Atlantis and as usual…..those who were awake were busy doing the normal stuff. Elizabeth was busy briefing the security officers team before they went through the stargate to an unknown planet. Dr. Beckett was in the infirmary taking care of a young athosian child who got hurt. And as usual, Colonel John Sheppard was down in one of the lower levels of the city exploring with his team. His team included Dr. Rodney McKay, Lieutenant Aiden Ford, Teyla Emmagen, and him of course.

Major Sheppard was walking along with his P-90 aimed ahead of him when all of the sudden he felt a sharp pain in his head. He stopped for a second and squinted his eyes shut.

"John……are you okay?" Teyla asked

"Yeah……I'm fine…….just keep going." John said with a brave face. Something wasn't right down there. He knew it was possible that the ancients could have been experimenting on something dangerous in a lab nearby. When it happened last time, people started hallucinating, having aneurisms and dropping dead.

They all continued walking along when all of the sudden, the pain returned. John stopped again as the pain slammed into his head like a hammer making him drop his P-90.

"John?" Teyla said. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you are okay?" She asked with concern. Ever since she met him, he had been a strong leader and cared little for his own personal safety. He had always put on a brave face when there was danger.

He bent down to pick up his P-90 and then started moving.

"I said I'm fine." he said after he started moving again. "Just keep moving."

The rest of the team followed along as they were told. Then they entered a what looked like a large laboratory. It had ancient equipment scattered on tables throughout the room.

"McKay, I want you to check out that side." John said motioning to a long table littered with odd looking artifacts and trinkets. McKay happily obliged with a smile on his face.

"Ford……I want you to go and see what's over there." he motioned for him to go to the opposite side of the room.

"Teyla…you're with me." John said as they all split ways. Teyla and John both kept on walking……their P-90s at the ready when Teyla stopped dead in her tracks.

"There is something wrong." she said with pure instinct. John turned to look at her. "This isn't a place where we should be."

John just shrugged off what she said and kept on moving but regretted so when he did. A wave of white hot pain engulfed his entire body making him drop to his knees.

"Oh my god." Teyla whispered before she went to his side. "John……what happened?"

He was grabbing his head in pain. He was a soldier but this was the worse pain he had ever felt. When Teyla didn't get a response, she went around and knelt down in front of him. When she looked at him, there was a thin red strip of blood running down from his nose.

"John?" she said. "What's wrong?" She looked at him with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine." he lied as he got up against his body's wishes and started to back up. Teyla picked up his P-90 and handed it to him.

"McKay…Ford….Teyla…fall back to the conference room." He said. They all followed him out the door and to the control room.

John was sitting alone in his living quarters when he looked up to find Teyla was outsided his door. "Come on in." he said. The door opened and Teyla walked in.

"John….may I speak with you?" She asked in a concerned voice. He nodded and she went and sat down at the edge of his bed.

"So…..what's up?" John said with the same adorable smirk that he had the day they had first met. She knew that something happened to him earlier that day and she also knew that he was the type of person that would sit and think about it instead of telling someone that something had gone horribly wrong. He was the commanding officer and couldn't afford to be hurt or scared.

"Today….when we were down in that lab……what happened to you?" Teyla asked.

"Nothing….I'm fine." John said.

"Your nose was bleeding." she said.

"Teyla, don't worry about it……I had a bit of a headache but other than that, nothing happened." John said.

"That is why you fell to your knees?" She said. "It looked like more than just a bit of a headache to me."

"I'm fine." John said. Teyla nodded and gave him an innocent smile. She then walked out leaving John alone to think about what Teyla had just said knowing that she was right.

Later on that day, Teyla went into the mess hall to sit down next to Leuitenant Ford. "You don't mind if I sit down here, do you?"

"No go ahead." he said and motioned for Teyla to sit down next to him.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked him after taking a sip of her cup of water.

"Yeah…..go ahead." Ford said and then waited to hear the question.

"Did you notice anything strange going on with Colonel Sheppard today?" Teyla asked with a worried look on her face.

"No……not really. I was too busy checking out the corner of the lab that I was told to check out." Ford said. "Why? Did something happen while we were in there?"

"Well, he was acting a bit odd." Teyla said. "First he stopped for no reason and then he dropped his P-90 and then he actually fell to the floor." She could see that Ford had no idea what she was talking about.

"He fell to the floor?" Ford repeated. "Do you know why?"

"He was holding his head like he had a really bad headache." Teyla said. "I went to talk to him earlier but he said that there was nothing wrong and not to worry about it."

"But you do worry about it." Ford said.

"Yes I do." Teyla said. "He doesn't seem to care about his own safety."

"Yeah….I know what you mean." Ford said knowing how John was and how he was a leader in every sense of the word. He sat there thinking for a few minutes. "Maybe there was something was down there in that lab. I mean…..we've had problems with that in the past."

"That may be." She said. "I think that we should keep a eye on him."

To be continued….


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or its original characters.

_So here is the second chapter. It's a little longer and I hope that I got all the mistakes fixed. Please read and review. I will appreciate it._

Later on that day, McKay, Ford, Teyla, and John went to explore the same level they were in earlier that day. They, once again, came across the same laboratory. Teyla walked up beside John to talk to him.

"You sure this is a good idea? You know what happened last time." Teyla said. John stopped to look at her.

"Teyla…….I told you that I was fine and not to worry about it." John said. He started walking again motioning for Teyla to continue as well.

John could barely hear his own thoughts with the constant whining from McKay. Then, suddenly, his knees buckled from underneath him and he dropped to the floor.

"Colonel…." Ford said as he finally noticed what Teyla was talking about earlier that day.

"John….are you okay?" Teyla asked him as she went to his side. He didn't answer. He just sat there on his knees with his head cradled in his hands.

"Colonel….what's going on?" Ford asked. John got up and staggered back some.

"I need to get out of here." John said. He didn't look very good. His face was pale and he looked as thought he had seen a ghost.

"You okay sir?" Ford asked. John turned around and walked out of the room.

He stopped and leaned against the wall just outside the door. _What the hell is wrong with me. I don't get it. Its just another room. God…..why does my head hurt so bad when I'm in there._

"John….are you okay?" Teyla asked as she walked out the door seeing him standing there.

"Yeah….I'm fine." John said trying to reassure her that everything was fine.

"You had the same thing happen the last time we were in there." Teyla said.

"Don't worry about it." John said. He turned to the rest of the team. "Fall back to the control room." They left and started towards the control room.

"John…..can I talk to you?" Teyla asked as she walked beside him.

"Teyla…..I'm fine." John said. He knew that she didn't believe him and he didn't blame her either. He was lying to her face. _What kind of friend am I. Every time she asks me how I feel, I always blow her off and lie about stuff to avoid sharing._

"John……you keep saying that but I do not believe you." she said giving him a serious look.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know what happened." He said. He left it at that and then they all continued to walk until they got to the control room.

The rest of the day, John spent thinking about what had happened. He couldn't figure out what was going on. He was eating good and getting plenty of rest. It didn't make any sense. Nothing made any sense. Except Teyla. She was always there wondering if he was okay and if he needed anyone to talk to. _God…..what am I going to do? Everything is such a mess. Teyla's concerned and Ford doesn't know what to think. What am I going to do? _This was the biggest mess he had been in yet. There was knock at the door.

"Come on in." He said and sighed when he saw Teyla open the door. "I already told you that I'm fine."

"John….why don't you ever admit when something happens to you?" Teyla said. "You can turn to people when you need help."

"I don't need help with anything." John said. Teyla had a look of surprise on her face.

"John I do not mean to insult you." Teyla said. "I am just a little concerned." She walked over and sat down at the edge of his bed. "You should go see Dr. Beckett. He might be able to tell you what has been happening to you while exploring the lower levels of the city."

John sighed and leaned forward. "Teyla listen……I know how to take care of myself. If I think that I need to see a doctor, then I will go and see Beckett. Until then, don't worry about it." He said in a calm voice.

"When something goes wrong, will you tell me?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

John nodded. "Yeah." She nodded and gave the same innocent smile she did earlier that day and walked to the door.

"Oh……Dr. Weir told me to tell you that there is going to be a meeting in about an hour." She said. John nodded and then watched Teyla walk out.

About an hour later, John, McKay, Ford, Teyla, and Dr. Weir met in what they called the conference room.

"So……after exploring some of the lower levels of the city today, what did you find out?" Dr. Weir said looking to find that there was no danger and that everything went well and maybe that they found a new and useful artifact.

John and Teyla exchanged looks. "We didn't really find anything very useful." John said purposely leaving the unpleasant details out.

"On the contrary Colonel." McKay said. "I found something quite interesting." He pulled a small cone shaped artifact out of his pocket.

John could feel the same pain in his head come back but it wasn't that bad. He knew that Teyla was looking at him.

"I cross-referenced the notes I found with the ancient data base and learned that it actually detects broken bones. It's like a miniature x-ray device." McKay sounded so thrilled with his findings that John didn't want to rain on his parade by complaining about a headache. "Look….you just push this button and….."

There was a screech from the other side of the room where John was that made everyone turn in his direction and look. It was John.

"No….turn it off." McKay just sat there puzzled at the sight of John cradling his head in his hands. "McKay…..TURN IT OFF!"

McKay fiddled with it for a few seconds which was long enough for John to fall out of his chair holding his head.

"John…..what's wrong?" Teyla asked but he was in way too much pain to say anything. McKay still hadn't turned it off.

"TURN IT OFF!" John shouted as loud as he could manage. Finally, McKay figured out how to turn it off. Everyone was left stunned at the sight before them. The only ones who didn't seem surprised about it were Teyla and Ford.

"What's going on here?" Weir asked in a confused but serious voice.

"Well that answers that mystery." Ford said in a low voice not quite in a whisper.

John was still sitting there with his head cradled in hid hands. Teyla put her hand on his forehead and then gasped.

"What's wrong?" He asked after hearing the slight sound that came out of her mouth.

"You have a fever." Teyla said. "You should go see Dr. Beckett."

John got up. "No…I'm fine." He sat down in his chair anxious to get the meeting over and done with. Everyone was looking at him.

"John….your nose is bleeding again." Teyla said in a soft tone. John didn't seem too alarmed by it. He just reached up with the sleeve of his shirt and wiped it away.

"This has happened before?" Weir said.

"It did the first time we went to the lab where McKay found the artifact." Teyla said. She looked at John and then continued. "I asked John about it but he kept saying that he was fine."

"Colonel…..is this true?" She asked him in a stern but worried voice. John looked at Teyla, then looked at Weir and nodded.

"Listen….just keep that damn thing off." John said as he stood up.

"Colonel……go see Dr. Beckett." She said in a commanding voice.

"I said, I'm fine." John said. He began to walk towards the door he began to feel weak. He stopped dead in his tracks. _God……what is wrong with me. I cant pass out in front of everyone. Come on John……keep it together._ He felt his legs get really weak. He put his hands against the wall to keep himself up.

"John…….what's wrong?" Teyla asked in a worried tone as she walked up beside him. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know." he whispered making sure that only Teyla heard it. He thought that he had enough strength to keep walking. He opened the door and began to walk but didn't get that far. He took about 3 steps and the dropped to the floor.

"Oh my god." Weir said standing up. She touched her com that she had on her ear. "Carson…..we have a medical emergency in the conference room."

"I'm on my way." Carson said over the com.

Teyla went to his side again and put her hand on his forehead. "I don't understand. Why would he have a fever?" she even looked baffled.

"What I don't get is why he didn't tell us anything." McKay said.

"Well you know how he is…..always keeping to himself." Weir said but then turned to the door to see Dr. Beckett staring down at John in shock.

"What brought this on?" He asked in disbelief.

"We don't really know……actually, I don't even think he knows." Weir said. John's eyes slid open. He blinked a couple times and looked around.

"John…..are you okay?" Teyla asked him while helping him sit up against the wall.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine." John said as he tried to stand up. His legs were barely strong enough to hold him up. He used the wall for support.

"What could've done this?" Beckett asked John. John didn't answer which prompted McKay for another know-it-all speech.

"We were down in the city scouting the area and I found this thing.." McKay was interrupted by Beckett.

"What is that?" He asked.

"Well, after cross referencing the notes it had with the ancient database I've been able to conclude that……"

"McKay.."

"Its some sort of x-ray device." McKay started. "All you have to do is press this button…" He pressed the button that activated it and yet again, the pain returned to John.

"McKay……TURN….IT….OFF!" Sheppard yelled just before grabbing his head and dropping to the floor again in extreme pain.

"Oh….sorry." McKay said just before turning the device off.

"I see." Beckett said. He turned to John who was trying to stand with Teyla there helping him. "You need to come with me Colonel." He said.

"No…..I'm fine." John said.

"No you're not now follow me." Beckett said just before walking out the door.

As they were walking, Teyla kept glancing at John to make sure that he was okay. One time, he noticed that she was looking at him.

"What?" John said in an innocent tone.

"You told me that you would tell me what was wrong if it happened again." She said in a little bit of an agitated tone.

"I told you that I don't know what happened." John said. He had sincerity in his voice.

"You have no idea why you passed out?" Teyla said in an uncertain tone.

"Teyla……I don't know why these things keep happening to me." John said. He started to feel more and more like himself by the minute. The only thing that didn't get better was the chills he was feeling.

"Someone needs to get the heat turned up in here." John said. "I don't think its ever been this cold since we got here."

"John…..you have a fever." Teyla said. "That is why you are cold."

"Oh….well that explains a lot." They kept on walking in complete silence until they got to Dr. Beckett's office.

"Are you sure that you are okay?" Teyla asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I'll be fine." He said before going into Beckett's office.

To be continued…..


	3. Chapter 3

-1Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_Thanks for all of you who have read and reviewed my story so far. I'm glad you like it. I didn't think that anyone would. I didn't update last night because I didn't have time so I figured that I would tonight. There is a little more of Teyla and John in this chapter. I hope I don't disappoint you with it. Please read and tell me what you think._

Later on that day, John had gone out to get some fresh air on one of the balconies. He stood out there so long that it had gotten dark. He was about to leave when the door opened and Teyla walked out.

"Why do you always come out here and sit alone when you have a bad day?" She asked in a friendly voice.

John turned around when he heard her voice. "I was just thinking."

"You spend all this time out here thinking? Why not talk to people?" She asked.

"I like having time alone." John said. He turned away from her and looked out over the balcony. "It gives me time to think about stuff and time to rest."

"Do you not get sick of being alone all the time?" She asked. It effected him more than she expected. He turned around and looked back at her and the look on his face was something she wished she had never seen. It was the saddest look she had ever seen in her life.

"And you know what it's like to be alone?" He said almost in tears.

"To tell you the truth…..I do not know what it is like to be completely alone." She went over to the edge of the balcony and sat down on the floor. "I have always had my people there for me when I needed them. And now I have your people as well. They are all great." She looked up at him and gave him a sad smirk.

He looked back at her for a minute and then sat down beside her. He didn't know how to tell her about how long he was alone. Unlike others there from earth, he didn't have anyone on earth waiting for him. He was completely alone.

"John?" she said making him snap back to reality.

He quickly stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "I've have to get going. Gotta get to sleep for tomorrow." He walked out without saying anything else.

John's feelings were starting to surface and he knew it which was why he headed strait for his quarters.

When he got inside his quarters, he felt like he was going to explode. _Why is this happening to me? I already dealt with this when I got into the military. _

Vicious thoughts ran through his head making him angrier and angrier by the minute until he finally hit his limit. "GOD DAMN IT!" He balled up both of his fists and slammed them into the nearest wall.

People walking by could hear the slams and crashes as John stove up just about everything in his room that didn't have any sentimental value. At one time, Teyla happened to be walking by on the way to her quarters when she heard the rackett.

"What do you think is going on?" One of the others near his door said.

Teyla stood there and thought for a second. "It may have been something I said to him earlier." She walked up to the door and stood there for a few seconds. The noise eventually stopped.

Teyla knocked a few times on his door. "John……..may I come in?" she said in a calm and comforting voice. There was no answer so she opened the door from the outside. When she walked in, she was horrified by what she saw. The bed was upside down, everything he owned was thrown everywhere, and there were some dents in the wall where it looked like he had been punching the wall. Then she saw John sitting on the floor against the wall in the corner.

"Teyla……get out. I want to be alone." John said. Teyla walked over to him and sat down on her knees facing him. "Teyla."

"John…..I am not leaving." She said. "You are not acting like yourself and I feel that this has happened because of what I said to you earlier." She looked down and say that both of his hands were bleeding. "What did you do?"

He hesitated for a minute but then told her what happened. "I punched the wall one too many times." He gave her a little smirk. "I guess I had it coming."

"John……please tell me what is wrong." She said.

"Its something that I have to deal with on my own." He said with a sad look on his face.

"Let me help." She said looking into his eyes. "John…….you don't have to be alone."

"Teyla……you don't understand." John said. He took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.

"John….please tell me what is wrong." Teyla said. "I am offering my ear to you. Please." She looked so much like she was about to cry. She wanted to help him so much but he wouldn't let her and he wouldn't let anyone else help either.

"Teyla I……..I've been alone just about all of my life." He hesitated for a minute to collect himself. "I've never had anyone to talk to when I need it….." He stopped and shook his head some. "What am I talking about……everyone here probably feels that way."

"John…..I….I had no idea that you felt so alone all the time." Teyla said. "You can turn to me if you need to. I hope you know that." John started to get up when Teyla caught his arm.

"Please stay and talk to me." Teyla said with a sad look on her face.

John was about to sit back down when he stopped and squinted his eyes shut tight with pain. It was the same pain as before. Teyla watched in horror.

"John…..what is it?" She asked. He didn't respond. He grabbed his head and dropped to his knees. John groaned in pain and grabbed his head. Teyla touched her radio on her ear. "Dr. Beckett……Dr. Beckett, are you there?" There was no answer. "McKay?" She said. There was no answer there either. She turned to John. "I will be right back…..I need to go get Dr. Beckett." She started to get up.

"No." John said grabbing her arm. "Don't go." There was nothing she could really do for him but be there and that was exactly what she planned on doing. She sat back down. The pain had subsided temporarily. Teyla looked at him. Once again, he had a bloody nose. He reached up and wiped it away.

"John…..you should really go and see Dr. Beckett." She said. "There is something wrong and it seems to be getting worse every time it happens." She seemed concerned. John layed down on the floor and rested his head on her leg. He didn't look too good. He was pale like he was before and he was weak like he was before.

The next day, everything was normal as usual. Everyone woke up and did everything like they normally did. When John woke up, he saw a surprising site. It was Teyla. He thought he had been dreaming. She was sleeping when he sat up. He looked around and sighed. _I did it again. I trashed my entire room and busted my hands all up for no reason. What exactly happened after that? I know someone turned on that friggan x-ray thing. The pain……couldn't forget that._

"Good morning John." Teyla said right after opening her eyes. "How are you feeling today?"

"Okay…..I guess." He said. He started to get up. His legs were weak so he put his hands on the wall to brace himself. He slowly stood up and leaned against the wall.

"Would you like me to get Dr. Beckett?" She asked with the same concerned look on her face as the night before.

After looking at the concerned look on her face, he figured that its about time he went to see the doctor. "I'll go see him." He said. He felt that he had enough strength to walk and he was right for once. Together, him and Teyla walked out of his room and to Dr. Becketts office.

Teyla was about to go in with him when he stopped her. "Go get something to eat…….I got it from here." She smiled and nodded and walked off. When he walked in, Dr. Beckett seemed a bit surprised.

"Colonel?" He said in disbelief. "What can I do for you today?" He motioned for John to sit down on one of the beds.

"Well…..ah…." he held his hands out. Beckett looked at his hands in horror.

"How did this happen?" Beckett asked in shock.

"I…..ah…lost my temper and punched a few walls." John said.

"You busted your knuckles open." Beckett said.

"Well….I hit them more then once." John said.

"That's not funny." Carson said.

"Lighten up Doc. My hands are the least of my worries." John said. "Its actually that thing that McKay has that's worrying me." John said. He had a concerned look on his face. Nobody knew what it was and there were few who even cared. "Whatever it is, its doing something to me."

Dr. Beckett had a confused look on his face. "How could the x-ray device do this stuff to you….I don't get it." Beckett said.

"Well…ancient technology, the ancient gene, who knows." John said. "Maybe the ancients were experimenting again…..they have done that before."

"Well that's true." Beckett said. "It could also be some type of side effect from the gene therapy that I did on McKay earlier." They both sat there for a second deep in thought trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

"Let me do some blood work and maybe I can figure something out." Beckett said. After that, John got his blood drawn and Beckett released him with a strong recommendation to come back if anything else bad happened to him.

Later on that day, Teyla was walking out of her quarters when she saw McKay standing there. "Do you need to see me for something?"

"Well kinda……I was just looking for Colonel Sheppard but I can't find him any where." McKay said. "I was wondering if maybe you might know where he is."

"No…..I haven's seen him since this morning." Teyla said with a regretful look on her face because she knew that the reason he wanted to find him was to apologize for what the x-ray device was doing for him and for turning it back on after being told to turn it off.

"Okay….well, if you see him, will you tell him I'm looking for him?" McKay asked. Teyla nodded and watched him walk away. She knew exactly where he was if he wasn't in his quarters. He was out on one of the balconies thinking again. She knew this was the best way to find him so she started walking. She walked until she found the balcony that he was on before and opened the door to go out.

Sure enough, when she walked out, John was standing at the end of the balcony looking out over the ocean. He didn't look very good. She slowly walked up and stood beside him.

"John…..you're outside alone again." She said while looking at him. He looked at her and heard a faint gasp out of Teyla's mouth. He had sweat running down his face and he was pale like he was the day before.

"Oh my god John…..are you okay?" She asked with a concerned look on her face. He didn't say anything but just looked at her. He looked like he was in a world of his own but he wasn't. Teyla knew that it was because he was sick. She reached up with a caring and gentle hand and felt his forehead. It was hot and he was trembling all over.

"John…..you are burning up." Teyla said putting her hands on both of his cheeks as he turned to face her.

"I feel worse now than I did earlier." He said. Teyla gave him a stern look.

"You told me that you would go and see Dr. Beckett." She said thinking it was because he didn't go to Dr. Beckett's office when he said he would.

"I did go to see Dr. Beckett." He said. He went to start walking away a little when he suddenly just fell to the floor.

"Oh my god." She said. She didn't have her radio and she could see that John didn't either. She knew that she had to get Dr. Beckett. She started to walk towards the door.

"Wait……don't go." John said in a faint voice.

"John……I need to go get Dr. Beckett." She said. The look on John's face as he sat himself up against the wall was a look of fear that she had never before seen. "Let me find someone to go and get him."

John nodded and watched her go out the door. There were a few people walk bye. She told them what was going on and that they needed to get Dr. Beckett. They agreed and went looking for Dr. Beckett.

When she got back outside, John was sitting up against the wall but he didn't look any better. She walked over and sat down beside him.

"You know……I've had the flu but nothing has knocked me down like this." He said in a soft voice.

"I do not know what you have but it is not good." Teyla said. She reached up and felt his forehead again. It still didn't feel any better. He was still trembling. They sat there for a few minutes in silence when the door opened.

"Alright……what's going on with him now?" Dr. Beckett asked as he walked over and walked around the other side of John and knelt down.

"Dr. Beckett…..he doesn't look too good. It is getting worse." Teyla said. Dr. Beckett reached up and felt John's forehead.

"We need to get him to the infirmary." Dr. Beckett said. He touched his com to call for a stretcher.

"Don't……..I can walk." John said as he tried to stand up. Teyla walked up and put her arm around him to help him stand. She knew that he was weak and that he needed help regardless of what he said. She knew he was tough but even tough people fall sometimes.

"Do you think you can walk?" Teyla asked with a concerned look on her face. She knew that weather he could or not, he would try his hardest.

"Yeah Teyla……I got it." John said as he got completely to his feet. She let go of him for just a second and he started to drop to the floor.

"John……you are not going to be able to walk all the way to the infirmary. You are too weak." She said as she put her arm back around him to help support his weight. They both began walking when John just fell to the ground. He was like dead weight and Teyla couldn't support him anymore. Beckett gave up and called for a stretcher. John was now out cold and they couldn't get him to wake back up.

To be continued…..


	4. Chapter 4

-1Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters

_Thank you for all the reviews. It helps a lot. Makes me want to write more and more each time. Thank you Capt. Ritter for the advice about breaking the scenes up in my story. I was wondering how to do that. Here is Chapter 4. I hope its not a disappointment._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"What's going on?" Weir asked as she walked into what was designated as the waiting room of the infirmary. "What's happening?"

"John is sick." Teyla said. "It all started when we went and explored that lab in the lower levels of the city."

"He said that he was fine." Weir said as she sat down on a seat next to Ford.

"You know the Colonel." Ford said. "He wouldn't tell people if he was sick unless they force him to." He looked at Weir. "He's stubborn."

"Yeah I know." Weir said. Dr. Beckett walked out into the waiting room where Teyla, McKay, Weir, and Ford were waiting.

"He is going to be just fine." Dr. Beckett said. "I believe that he has some sort of Atlantean version of the flu. It's nothing worse than the one any of us would experience on earth. The fever is a little worse but other than that……I think he is going to be fine."

There was a sigh out of relief out of both Teyla and McKay. Teyla because she was so worried about his safety and McKay because he thought it was him that caused it.

"We analyzed the x-ray device that Rodney found and there were traces of an the virus on the outside of it. Whoever was handling the device last must have had the virus." Beckett said.

"Why wouldn't it effect the rest of us then?" Ford asked out of the blue.

"John has the ancient gene." Weir said. "That must be it."

"Yeah but I have it too." McKay said.

"But yours is through gene therapy." Dr. Beckett said. "Maybe the virus can tell the difference."

"That's a good possibility." Weir said.

Teyla stood up. "Is he allowed to have visitors yet?" She said hoping that the doctor would let her in to talk to him.

"You can go ahead in." Beckett said.

XXXXXXXXXX

"How are you feeling?" Teyla asked as she walked in the doorway.

"I feel like a train hit me." He said. Teyla didn't know how to answer that one. She didn't even know what he was talking about.

"Train?" Teyla repeated with a hint of confusion in her tone.

"Never mind…….in other words…..I feel terrible." John said. He sighed and ran one of his hands through his hair. "Beckett wont let me leave either."

"Why would you want to leave?" Teyla said. "You are not well so you should stay here until you are."

John rolled his eyes. "I don't really like the infirmary that much."

Teyla went and sat down beside his bed in a chair. "John…..please listen to Dr. Beckett this time."

"Teyla…..even if I wanted to leave, I would have a really hard time walking out the door when I cant even stay standing." John said. Teyla gave him an innocent smirk.

There was a silence between them for a few seconds. "Thank you." John said which caught Teyla off guard.

She looked at him. "For what?"

"For staying with me last night and for being there earlier." John said.

"You do not need to thank me John." Teyla said. "I am a friend…….it is the least I could do." She smiled at him. There was another silence between them. Neither of them could think of anything to say to one another.

When she glanced over at him and saw that he was looking at her. "John?"

"I'm sorry…….I was just thinking." John said.

"Well, is it something I can help you with?" Teyla said.

"No……this is something I have to figure out on my own." John said. "Thanks anyway." He laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Well, I will see you later than." Teyla said. John opened his eyes and nodded. Teyla smiled and walked out of the room.

After Teyla walked through the door, feelings and thoughts swamped him from every direction. _What am I gonna do now. She is so amazing. All I do is think about her all the time. I trust her more than anyone I've ever met. But what would she do if I told her how I actually feel. _He didn't know what to do about the way he felt. He was so confused. He was never so confused in his entire life and he didn't know how to tell her about his feelings.

He sat there for a few minutes deep in thought when McKay walked through the door. "Colonel…..can I speak to you for a minute?" He said hesitating to walk into the room any further.

"Sure……but make it quick." John said. McKay looked at him almost disappointed when John finished. "I'm tired. I want to get some sleep."

McKay relaxed a little and walked over to where Teyla was sitting. He sat down but he didn't really relax which told John that there was something important on his mind.

"What's bothering you?" John asked.

"I just wanted to apologize for everything that has been happening to you lately." McKay said. John was about to say something when McKay continued. "I completely disregarded all of the years of scientific procedure and safety that I have learned both the easy way and the hard way. I….."

"Don't worry about it." John said. "How were you supposed to know that it had bacteria on it?" John didn't know if it would make McKay feel any better but he didn't blame him for what happened to him. The ancients had a thing for not writing adequate instructions and warnings on things.

"Its just that I feel so bad about what happened and I know that it all stemmed from the x-ray device that I had and turned on…..but….." He stopped dead and started thinking about something different. "Hold that thought…….I need to talk to Carson." He got up and started to walk to the door.

"Okay." John said making McKay turn around to look at him. He nodded and walked out of the infirmary and off to see Dr. Beckett.

**XXXXXXXXX**

McKay went to Dr. Beckett and tapped him on the shoulder. Dr. Beckett turned around with an annoyed look on his face. "Rodney……what do you want?" He said.

"I think I have a theory about the x-ray device and why it effects Sheppard so much." He said with some what of an excited look on his face.

"Okay….what is it?" He said.

"Well, what if the x-ray device is wraith?" McKay said.

"I'm listening." Beckett said.

"Well, we know that the wraith and the ancients had an all out war 10,000 years ago. Maybe they were experimenting on the x-ray device. Maybe the wraith deliberately made it to get rid of the ancients. I mean….we know that they heal themselves so the only use of an x-ray device for the wraith would be to inflict harm on the ancients." McKay said. "And as far as the pain that Colonel Sheppard experiences every time it's on……well, like I said, it's a theory."

"And the ancient gene?" Beckett said.

"Like you said earlier……maybe it can recognize who actually has the specific gene and who has had gene therapy to get it artificially." McKay said. "I still need to look in the ancient data base to find out more but that's what I think is going on."

"I think you're on to something Rodney." Beckett said. "Let me know what you find out." McKay nodded and practically ran out the door.

A few minutes later, Ford walked in and walked over to Dr. Beckett. "Hey…..can I go in and talk to Colonel Sheppard for a minute?"

"Yeah, go ahead……but if he's sleeping, please don't disturb him." Dr. Beckett said in a serious tone. Ford nodded and walked into the room that John was placed in.

"Sir…..can I talk to you for a minute?" Ford asked with sincerity in his voice.

"Yeah……what's up?" John said in a casual tone like absolutely nothing was wrong with him. For went over and sat down in the chair beside his bed.

"Listen……I know you don't want to tell Dr. Beckett and the rest of them what's going on, but…"

"I already said that I was fine." John said.

"Sir…..I'm not talking about why you're here, I'm talking about why you destroyed your room." Ford said.

"Oh….that." John said. He sat there thinking for a minute. "I got mad."

"Well, Teyla seems convinced that its something more and that its her fault that you got mad to begin with. She has been miserable since this whole mess started." Ford said.

"Why didn't she say anything to me when she was in here just a few minutes ago?" John whispered to himself.

"Probably for the same reasons why you never tell anyone about anything that you need help with." Ford said. "No offense sir……but you're stubborn."

"Did she put you up to this?" John asked a little irritated by the apparent attempt to delve into his feelings. He sat up on his bed, the emotion apparent on his face.

"No….." I came here on my own free will." Ford said. "After being here for so long and all the shit that all of us has been through, I've come to see you as a close friend but I guess stuff like that is too much of a burden for leaders." Ford was furious. John was like his best friend…..like a brother to him.

"Listen……..its complicated." John said. "I has a lot to do with my past and how I was raised." He shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you and anyone else around here." He sighed. "Its something I have to handle on my own."

"Okay….whatever man." Ford said in a disappointed voice and walked out.


	5. Chapter 5

-1Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters

_Okay, here it is, chapter 5 finally. I actually had some trouble with this one. I had it all written but then changed my mind and decided to change it all around. _

_Thanks again to Capt. Ritter for the help and useful advice. The second good tip in a matter of days. I hope this doesn't have as many run-on sentence which I have a tenancy to write. Thanks again to all those others who have reviewed this so far. Gives me the motivation to keep writing._

_Tell me what you think and enjoy…_

**XXXXXXXXX**

John sat there for a few minutes taking in everything that Ford had said to him. He knew what Ford said was true and he knew he had to deal with his problems. He told Ford that it was about how he was raised but that was in the past. He needed to move on. He needed to open up to someone at sometime. Everyone already knew about his little temper tantrum that he had in his room. And Teyla…….Teyla deserved an explanation. _I need to tell her what is going on. She deserves to know. _

John looked both ways. There were no doctors or scientists or anything in sight. He turned so that his feet were hanging over the edge of his bed. He slowly stood up. A smile appeared o his face as he realized that all his strength in his legs had returned. He pulled the IVs out of his arm and began to walk foreward. He found his clothes and changed out of his johnny so he would be presentable.

After getting changed, he started out of the room. Nobody was there at the moment to stop him so he continued. All he could think about was Teyla and how much he needed to talk to her. _Miserable? Ford said that she was miserable. I didn't want Teyla to be miserable because of him. That's not what he wanted. He just didn't want to tell her anything at the time._ While walking deep in thought he didn't notice that Elizabeth walked by.

"John……" She said stopping and turning around to face him. "What are you doing out of the infirmary."

"Listen……I'll go back when I get finished with what I need to do." He said. He left it at that and kept on going. He stopped at Teyla's quarters but there didn't seem to be anyone there.

"She's out on the balcony." Elizabeth said. John nodded and started towards the balcony. He had to talk to her.

He walked for what seemed like an eternity, Ford's words running through his head over and over again making him feel more and more guilty by the second. When he got to the balcony and opened the door, sure enough, she was standing at the edge. She was leaning on the railing to look at the ocean. She didn't turn her head or anything. He slowly walked up and leaned on the railing beside her trying not to startle her much.

When he looked over at her, what he saw shocked and broke his heart. The guilt already so present in his system started gnawing at him more and more. She closed her eyes and a couple tears dropped.

"No…….don't cry Teyla." John said in a very soft voice. She didn't notice at first until John put his hand on her shoulder.

"John……what are you doing out here?" Teyla said a little in shock as she stood up strait. She frantically wiped the tears from her face as she fought a losing battle to regain her composure.

"Are you okay?" John said in a compassionate voice. He could see the confusion on her face. "I came here because I needed to talk to you about something."

Teyla had her mouth open and was about to say something when John started talking. "Teyla…….I…." Suddenly a wave of dizziness crashed through his body making him stumble back a few feet.

"Oh my god." Teyla said as she walked over and grabbed his arm. "Are you okay?" She asked but she was answered with a blank expression. "John?"

"Teyla……..need to talk to you." John said finally regaining his balance.

"No……you need to go back to the infirmary." Teyla said in a firm voice. He knew she was worried about him but he had to talk to her.

John started to walk foreward when he dropped to the floor holding his head. He yelled out in agony as the pain returned to him full force like it did before. This caught Teyla by surprise. She thought that McKay had the device off and that it only had this effect on him when it was on.

She knelt down in front of him. John had his head cradled in his hands and his eyes squinted shut in pain. "John…….what's happening?" she asked.

"McKay." John said before screaming in pain again. Teyla didn't know what to do for him. The only thing she thought would help was to get Dr. Beckett.

"John…." She said trying to get his attention. He didn't respond. She put her hands on his cheeks and tilted his head so that he was face to face with her. "John…….look at me."

John opened his eyes to look at Teyla. "John…….I need to go find Dr. Beckett." He gave her a look of understanding. She reluctantly let go of John's face and ran out the door.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Oh no." McKay said as he frantically searched the top of his desk for the device he found in the lower levels of the city. "Where did it go? It was right here just a little while ago." He kept searching with no success when Weir walked in.

"Rodney……what's going on?" She asked as she watched him rustle through everything on his desk.

"It's gone." McKay said

"What is?" Weir asked fear what his answer would be.

"The device." McKay irritably said. "It was right here on the desk and now its gone." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You know what that thing does to Colonel Sheppard. Weir touched her radio.

"Dr. Beckett……are you there?" She said.

"This is Beckett……what's going on?" He said as he walked into the room that John had been in. He stopped and stared at the bed thinking the worse.

"The device is gone." She said. "If someone turns that on, Colonel Sheppard may be in trouble."

"Tell me about it." Beckett said as he looked at the bed in the infirmary. "Colonel Sheppard is missing too." He walked back out the door when he ran into Teyla.

She stumbled back after colliding with him.

"Teyla, are you okay?" He asked not knowing about what had happened to John on the balcony.

"It's John." She said breathing heavy from running all the way to the infirmary. "There is something wrong with him." After hearing the words out of her mouth, he ran for the door with Teyla on his heels.

Together, they both sprinted the entire way from the infirmary to the balcony. When Beckett opened the door, John was laying there unconscious on the floor.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_So there it is. Some of you said you wanted more whumping……is this what you wanted? Hope you like it._

**To be continued…..**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_So here it is. Chapter 6. It might be a few days before I update again because I have a lot of stuff to think about in my story. I don't want to rush it and do a crappy job on it._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla gasped at the sight that lay before them. He was pale and motionless and he had blood smeared on his cheek from what looked like where he tried to wipe it off. His skin was pale and clammy looking with sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Oh no." Beckett said as he knelt down beside him. "What happened to him?"

"That device that McKay had was turned on again." Teyla said just before turning around. She couldn't bear to look at him any more. Beckett first checked his pulse and breathing. She heard Beckett sigh.

"Is he okay?" Teyla asked not daring to turn around.

"He's unconscious but I think he'll be fine." Beckett said.

"Good." Teyla said just before walking out. She couldn't be there any longer. She couldn't bear to look at John like that any more. Whatever was happening to him was probably scaring her more than it was him because she was always the one there when it happened and she didn't know what to do to help him. She leaned against the wall and fought to keep herself from crying again. She was about to walk away when the door opened and Beckett walked out.

"Teyla, are you okay?" Beckett asked with a concerned look on his face. He had never seen her act this way the entire time he knew her.

She nodded but kept her mouth shut for fear that the tone of her voice would tell him how upset she really was. "He's awake now it you want to see him."

"No……not right now." Teyla said. "I will visit him in the infirmary later on." She said. Beckett nodded and walked back out onto the balcony. Teyla let out a sigh of relief and then strode off towards her room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Are you sure you checked there?" Weir said.

"Yes……for the tenth time, I checked there." McKay said in an irritated tone that Weir heard so often. "I told you that I put it right over there on the table and now it's missing."

"Are you trying to tell me that it was stolen?" Weir asked in a horrified tone.

"Yes……..that's exactly what I am trying to tell you." McKay said in and elevated voice. He took the stack of papers and file folders and slammed them down on the table. "We are in serious trouble."

"Okay Rodney………backtrack your steps." Weir said refusing to believe that someone from the Atlantis expedition stole a dangerous artifact that they knew absolutely nothing about besides that it causes pain to the one person they didn't need to be injured.

"Elizabeth…….will you please just listen to me!" McKay said in the same elevated, irritated tone.

"Okay….okay." Weir said. "Just…….."

"Dr. Weir?" She heard Beckett's voice on her radio.

"Dr. Beckett……did you find Colonel Sheppard yet?" Weir asked as she walked towards the door.

"Yes I did." He said. "Actually, Teyla came and got me. I think that someone activated that x-ray device that McKay had. He's exhibiting the same symptoms as he did before."

"The device was stolen." Weir said as she walked out the door and started down the hall.

"Who would steal something like that?" Beckett asked with a puzzled tone in his voice. "Unless someone has something against the Colonel, I don't see how something like that would be of any interest to anyone."

"That's what we are going to find out." Weir said. "I'll tell you when we figure something out." She took her radio off her ear so it wouldn't disturb her train of thought while she walked to her office.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla went strait to her room after leaving the balcony. She needed to have time alone to think. Once she got inside her room, she sat down on her bed and wrapped her arms around her pillow. All the events of the day ran through her head as she tried to make sense of all of it. She didn't know what was happening to John. All she knew was that it was painful for him.

She was so shaken up by what had happened that her heart was pounding like it wanted to escape from her chest. She layed back on her bed and closed her eyes so she could relax herself. She was exhausted and needed the sleep more than anything.

After about 20 minutes of laying there with her eyes closed, she let the darkness take over and she drifted off into much needed sleep.

"_John…..john, please wake up." She said after she knelt down beside him as he layed there unconscious on the floor of the balcony. "Please, don't do this to me……..wake up!" She couldn't get him to wake up. She checked his pulse. There was nothing. She was doing it right. There was no pulse._

"_No!" She yelled with tear filled eyes. "No! You can't be gone…..No!"_

Suddenly, Teyla bolted upright in her bed breathing heavy. What was wrong with her? Why was she dreaming about John dying? It didn't make any sense. She grabbed her pillow, buried her face into it and began to sob.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"How is he?" Weir asked Beckett after walking into his office. He was sitting at his desk fighting to stay awake.

"He'll be fine…..I think." Beckett said. He sat upright and opened his eyes wide as if it was going to keep him awake. "I mean……if I knew exactly what was wrong with him, then I could tell you exactly how he is going to be but for now, there doesn't seem to be anything seriously wrong with him."

"Well, that's good to hear." Weir said. She sat down in a chair next to him when she saw the sad look on his face.

"I'm actually a little worried about Teyla." He said and when he saw the look of confusion on her face, he continued to explain what he was talking about. "When we made it back to the balcony, she seemed a little bit freaked out about the whole thing. Normally she would be right there to help but this time, it was like she couldn't bear to be near him."

"Really?" Weir said. "That's odd." She sat there for a few minutes in thought until Beckett jolted her form her thoughts by asking her a question.

"Did you want to go in and see the Colonel?"

"Actually, I did." Weir said. She knew that Beckett was tired and was anxious to get some sleep. She smiled at him and walked into the infirmary where John was. He was in the same bed as he was previously.

"Hello Colonel….how are you feeling?" She asked when she realized that he was awake.

"How the hell do you think I feel?" John said in a tired voice. This took her a little bit by surprise because most of the time he would just say something like, "Oh great." or "Fine." or something like that. "Where is McKay, we need to have a little talk."

"What about?" Weir asked while crossing her arms across her chest.

"He turned that damn thing back on after I specifically told him to keep it……"

"It was stolen from his office." She said cutting his sentence short. She didn't expect the look of surprise that she got in response.

"By who?" He asked with a confused look on his face.

"We don't know." Weir said with a slight frown.

John sighed in frustration and looked up at the ceiling. How could someone steal it? Why would someone steal it? It didn't make any sense at all. Didn't everyone know what that thing did to him? Or did they decide to keep it all secret from everyone.

After sitting there in silence for a while, Weir decided to break the silence. "Have you seen Teyla yet?"

John shook his head disappointedly. "Haven't seen her since she left to go get Beckett." He said. There was a long period of silence until Weir began speaking again.

"Well, I'm going to get going so you can get some sleep. McKay is probably having a fit by now trying to figure out how to find out who stole the device." She stood up and slowly walked out of the room.

**XXXXXXXX**

The next morning, John woke up and saw a surprising sight. It was Teyla. She was curled up in the chair beside his bed sleeping. She looked peaceful with her hair draped over her cheeks and her hands folded so neatly under her head.

He slowly sat up in bed trying his hardest not to wake her up. Too late, a crack from the bed made her open her eyes. "John…….you are awake." She said with a small smile on her face.

"Yeah." He said in a serious tone. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I could not sleep." She said. "Nightmares kept me from getting any rest. I didn't know where else to go so I came here."

John didn't know what to say at first so he just sat there. He didn't know where she went after he woke up on the balcony the night before? He didn't think it was very important but it nagged at him every once and a while.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Teyla asked breaking the silence that hung so thick between them.

"A little better I guess." He said. He shifted into a more comfortable position on the bed. "I have a little more energy then before."

"Well, that is good." Teyla said. She sat there for a minute wanting to talk but not knowing what to say to him. Then it hit her. _What was he trying so hard to tell me last night? He left the infirmary when he wasn't supposed to just to tell me something. What was it? _"John……what was it that you wanted to talk to me about last night?"

This caught John off guard but he knew that he had had a purpose for running away from the infirmary the night before. "Everything."

"What do you mean everything?" She asked not understanding what he was talking about.

"About why I trashed my room……about why I go and sit alone to think all the time……everything that you wanted to know before." He said and was answered by a look of surprise from Teyla. She obviously didn't know what to think when he said that.

"You do not have to explain anything to me John." She said. "I know that you were upset and I know that you do not want to tell anyone. You do not have to. We all have stuff that we do not tell people."

"You mean like why you were crying last night." John knew that this would get her attention and it did indeed. She didn't have an answer to that. She just fell completely silent and didn't ask any more questions.

Teyla didn't want anyone to know that she had been crying. She had always been so strong and was a great warrior among both her people and his. She was a valued member of his team and she loved working with him and everyone else on the team. She was always concerned with him all the time and didn't know that he was actually concerned with her as well.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat after hearing that statement out of John's mouth. "I did not think you remembered that."

"It'd be hard for me to forget that." John said in a serious tone. He was looking directly at her. "Ford told me that you have been miserable since this whole mess started. Is that true?"

Teyla's eyes met with his. The look in her eyes told him that Ford was right. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I must go now." She said as she stood up and started heading for the door.

"Teyla wait.." John called after her. She hesitated for a minute debating weather to turn

around or not and then walked out of the infirmary.

To be continued…..

**XXXXXXXXXX**

There it is. I'm not done yet though. I still have a long way to go before I get to the end of this story. It just might be a while between posting chapters.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_Wow, the reviews are great so far. Sorry it took so long to get this up but I was a little stuck. This chapter is a little slower and has more dialogue and personal moments between John and Teyla. I hope that the dialogue doesn't seem out of character……especially for Teyla. Hope you enjoy it. Tell me what you think after._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

John sat there in silence for almost a half hour thinking about Teyla's reaction to what he said. He knew that he was the reason why she was so upset. He didn't know what to do to make her feel better. He wanted so much to chase after her to talk to her. Suddenly all the thoughts were pushed aside when Dr. Beckett walked into the room.

"Good morning Colonel." Beckett said with a smile on his face. "How are you feeling today?" he asked as he walked over and sat down in the chair beside the bed.

"A little better." He said with an unconvincing look on his face.

"Hmm." Beckett said with a small frown on his face. "Why is it that I can't believe that?"

John ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "It's Teyla." He paused for a second. "She's upset and I know that it's my fault."

"I figured there was something wrong yesterday." Beckett said as he remembered the way Teyla was acting the day before at the balcony.

"What do you mean?" John asked in a serious tone.

"It's the reason why she wasn't there when you woke up last night on the balcony." Beckett said as he got up. John didn't say any more, he just sat there taking in everything that Beckett said. Beckett walked out of the infirmary.

_Why she wasn't there when I woke up yesterday on the balcony, her crying, her having nightmares last night……what was going on? She wasn't normally like this. She was worried about him but her worry was more serious then he originally thought it was._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was jumpy after leaving the infirmary. The fact that John had remembered that she had been crying the night before and that he brought it up scared her a little. She had been so shaken up the night before that she forgot that he had seen her in tears.

She slowly walked down the corridor towards the mess hall. She wasn't really hungry but thought that she would eat something because she hadn't eaten anything since the day before.

When she got into the mess hall, she slowly scanned the entire room to make sure that nobody would interrupt her meal to ask her all kinds of questions. Once she was certain that there was nobody there that would notice her, she went and got her food and sat down at a table rather far away from the rest of the crowd there. She needed to have time alone so she could think about things.

_Now I know why John is always alone to think all the time. It's much more peaceful and there are nobody else's questions to answer……just your own._

She poked and prodded at her food until Weir walked over and sat down facing her. "Teyla……can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I would like to have time to myself right now." Teyla said in an unconvincing voice.

"It'll only take a minute." She said in response and Teyla nodded for her to continue.

"Dr. Beckett is concerned with you." She said and was answered by an annoyed look. "And I'm a little concerned as well."

"Why would you be concerned?" Teyla asked in the same annoyed voice as before.

"I don't know…..maybe it's because you seem so distant the past couple of days and it's not like you to be like that." Weir said in a serious tone.

"I have not been sleeping well." Teyla said in a reassuring voice. "That is all. But I do appreciate your concern." Teyla stopped talking and picked up her tray to leave.

Just before she started to walk away, Weir spoke up. "It has to do with that artifact that McKay found……doesn't it?" Teyla stopped, her back still turned to Weir, and thought about telling her about everything that has been happening to her lately. She then figured that it would be better off kept secret. She did not want anyone to know about how her emotions were and about her nightmares. She kept on walking. After she scraped her tray, she left the mess hall on her way to her room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

McKay felt his eyes getting heavy as he stared at the laptop screen. He was looking at the Expedition manifest to see if it could jog his memory about who was in his office the past couple days. The only names that popped up were his name, Zalenka, and Kavanaugh. He blinked a couple times at that last name.

_Where is Kavanaugh anyway? I haven't seen him since yesterday. He's usually here bugging the hell out of me and always having an attitude with everyone._

"Rodney…..anything yet?" Weir asked jolting him awake almost as well as a blow horn.

"Well, a few names pop up but I cant be sure on any of them." McKay said as he sat himself up strait.

"Who are they?" Weir asked and sat down facing him.

"Well……the three people who have been in here the most have been Zalenka, Kavanaugh, and uh…..me." He said. He looked back down at the list and frowned. "I haven't seen Kavanaugh since yesterday."

"That's odd." Weir said as she shifted in her seat to get a little more comfortable. "And the device went missing yesterday."

"Yeah." McKay said in an annoyed tone. "I just don't get why he would want it in the first place."

"That's a good question." Weir said as she got up. She had just got there but she wanted to go see how John was and if he was going to be released any time soon. "I'm going to give that one some thought for a while. I'll get back to you soon though."

"Okay." McKay said and then watched her walk out of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When Weir walked into the infirmary, she was shocked when she saw John's bed empty. She quickly looked around in all directions but the only one she saw was Dr. Beckett. "Where is he?" She asked him in a panicked voice.

"I released him about an hour ago." Beckett said. "I couldn't do anything else for him and he had all his strength back."

"What about the device that was stolen?" Weir asked in a somewhat irritated voice. "What if it's used against him again?"

"Elizabeth……I can't keep him here forever." Beckett said. "Besides…..I told him to come back tonight to get checked out again……just to be sure." Beckett said in a reassuring voice. He could tell that she wasn't buying it but there was nothing else that he could say. She wasn't in the military but she had her own stubborn minutes and sometimes was just as bad as John was.

"I don't get it." Weir said as she walked over to the window and then turned around. "How could you release him after finding out that the device that caused his injury was stolen and could be used against him?"

"Doctor……I couldn't find anything else wrong with him." Beckett said in a serious tone. "He got all his strength back and was ready to leave." He sighed. "Not only that, but I think he is going to find out what has been wrong with Teyla."

"Teyla?" Weir said almost in disbelief.

"Aye." Beckett said. "Teyla hasn't been getting any sleep lately and had been acting a bit out of character. She also mentioned something about having nightmares to John earlier."

"About the wraith again?" Weir asked not realizing that Beckett knew absolutely nothing about the nightmares but that he was beginning to believe that they were about John and what she had witnessed on the balcony that night. Whatever it was, it shook her up good and she couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling that she had.

"I don't believe they're about the wraith again." Beckett said in a serious tone. "I think that they are about John." Weir's eyes seemed to bulge at the moment that he said that. Why in the world would she have nightmares about John. It didn't make any sense.

She looked at him with a confused look on her face. "Would you come into my office for a moment so I can talk to you without anybody listening?"

She nodded and then followed him into his small office. He sat down behind his table and she in front facing him. "Yesterday, when Teyla came to get me, John was on the balcony and he was unconscious. I don't know what happened before that but it was something bad." Weir squinted her eyes a little in confusion.

"The minute I got to the balcony, she left the balcony." Beckett said. "I think whatever happened to him scared her a wee bit."

"That might just be the case." Weir said. "We've all seen what that thing does to him but she is always the first one there and seeing him in pain might be a little too much for her."

"Maybe." Beckett said. "Maybe you should go talk to her."

"I'll try." Weir said just before getting up and walking out of his office.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla had had a very long day it seemed and she didn't accomplish anything. She hadn't had any real sleep in over 24 hours and she didn't know how much longer she could stay awake. _Maybe I will just take a short nap and I will feel well enough later. _She though to herself as she walked over to her bed and sat down. She slowly pulled her shoes off one by one and yawned. She layed her head back on the pillow and prayed to herself that the nightmares wouldn't return again. She couldn't bare to have one of them again.

Just as she closed her eyes to go to sleep, there was a knock at the door. "Enter." She said in a tired voice and was shocked at the person who stepped through the doorway. It was John.

"John." She said in shock. "You are supposed to be in the infirmary."

"I was released." John said as he began to walk in. "I wanted to know if I could talk to you for a minute."

She just nodded and let him start the conversation off. "Are you okay?" He asked. This took her completely by surprise but she felt compelled to answer.

"I am fine." Teyla said as she shifted into a more comfortable sitting position on her bed.

"Teyla, I know there's something wrong. Everyone is saying that you aren't acting yourself and I know it has something to do with me." John said as he walked in a little more and sat down at the end of her bed.

Teyla sat there for a few minutes in silence when suddenly, she turned her head away. She could feel tears welling up as she remembered what happened on the balcony. The pain that he was in was almost as unbearable for her as it was for him. She couldn't stand knowing that there was something wrong with him but not being able to do anything.

"Teyla?" He said after not hearing anything from her for a minute. He gently put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with both hands.

John's heart sank at that sound. She was crying. He had never seen her cry until that previous night when he saw her on the balcony. He got up and walked around and knelt down on the floor beside the bed so that they were facing each other.

"Teyla….don't cry." John said. She could tell that he was concerned by the look in his eyes. "Why are you so upset?"

"It is hard to explain." Teyla said as she wiped the rest of her tears away only to let more fall.

John reached up and put a hand on each of her cheeks. "Please…..tell me what's wrong." He said looking like he was about to cry himself.

"John…….I could not help you." She said with more tears running down her cheeks.

"What do you mean….when?" He said with a confused look on his face.

"On the balcony." Teyla clarified for him.

Then it dawned on him. What happened on the balcony actually scared her. He took his hands off her cheeks and sat there for a minute thinking. Teyla got up off her bed and started walking towards the door.

"Teyla wait." John said getting up and turning to face her. She stopped but she didn't turn around. She was still crying and she couldn't stop. She covered her face with her hands to keep herself from sobbing out loud.

John walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. She was trembling all over from all the crying that she was doing. "Teyla……..its okay. You did the only thing you could do." He thought that it wouldn't work but he knew he had to try and make her feel better.

"I thought you were go..…." Teyla's sentence trailed off as tears began to run down her cheeks again as she remembered her nightmare about John dying.

"Teyla……look at me for a minute." John said as he got her to turn around to face him. "It wasn't that bad. Yeah it was painful but I've been through a lot worse."

She wiped her last tear off her cheek. She didn't think he'd be able to cheer her up. She didn't think that anyone would be able to but he managed to pull it off. "I know." She said and gave him a small smirk. He gave her the same smile he gave her the first day they met. She slowly turned away from him and walked out the door.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_There is chapter 7. I really hope that it's good. I plant to get into some more exciting stuff next chapter……whenever that will be. It all depends on how busy I am with everything else. I hope that I will be able to update soon. I'm always anxious to see what people think._

**To be continued…..**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

Thanks for the reviews again. There's going to be more whumping in this chapter so those who like whumping, will like this. I was a little stumped before I wrote this chapter but I think I did okay.

The thief hasn't been revealed yet but he will be soon. Just trying to get some more one-on-one moments between John and Teyla. Trying to enhance their relationship for later.

XXXXXXXXXX

John had actually felt like he had accomplished something for once in the past few days. He finally found out what was bothering Teyla so he could cheer her up. He walked out of Teyla's room with a smile on his face. Once he got out of Teyla's room, he slowly made his way towards the mess hall. He needed to get some real food. Food in the infirmary sucked. That's why he didn't eat when he was in the infirmary.

When he got into the mess hall, there was nearly nobody there which made him happy. He went and got his turkey sandwich and sat down at a table far away from the few people that were there.

He was just about to take a bite of his turkey sandwich when Weir walked up to the table and sat down. "Relax…..I was released." He said in anticipation of a lecture.

"I know you were." She said. She sighed in frustration. "Much to my objection."

"Not to be mean or anything, but if you need to talk to me about something, get it over with because I haven't eaten anything since yesterday and….." His sentence was cut short.

"Make sure to watch your back." She said quick and to the point. "We still don't know who stole the artifact and you are still at risk of getting hurt in the process."

"Is that all?" He asked with a little bit more attitude then he intended.

"_Is that all?_" She repeated in an upset tone.

"Listen……I just want to get something to eat and go to bed." He said. "It seems like wherever I go lately, there is someone hounding me about one thing or another when all I want is to be alone for a while." He knew after he finished that he had upset her. He didn't care though. He needed to get something to eat and go to bed.

Weir sighed, got up, and strode off towards her office.

XXXXXXXXXX

Teyla felt a lot better after talking to John. She no longer felt guilty about what she said to him but she still had a bad feeling. _What if what I dream comes true? What will I do then? _She could feel herself getting upset again as the thoughts of it and as her nightmares ran through her head. She knew that John was strong and she knew that whatever was thrown at him, he would fight it all the way and wouldn't go down without a fight.

She walked into her room and sat down on her bed. What would she do now if someone turned that device on? How would she help John? She had seen it happen to him every time and every time, it scared her even more. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." She said and was greeted by John when the door opened. "Hello John." She said as he walked into her room.

"Hey." He said. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to go for a walk." This took her by surprise. She thought that he would be tired but it seemed like he wasn't.

"Do you not need rest?" Teyla asked in a concerned voice as she looked up at him.

"I tried going to bed but I couldn't get to sleep." He said. He raised his eyebrows as if he were asking her about the walk again. She smiled at him.

"Okay." She answered as she stood up from her bed and started walking towards the door. He seemed a lot better than he had been the last couple days. How long would that last though. Whoever had the artifact thing probably knew what it did to John and would use it to hurt him. She pushed the thoughts out of her head and walked out the door with John right behind her.

After getting out of Teyla's room, they made their way away from the living quarters to a long corridor. After walking for a few minutes, the crowd thinned out until it was just the two of them walking in the hall.

"This is nice." John said as they walked slowly down the hall. "Nice and quiet." He took a deep breath and exhaled with a smile on his face.

"This is peaceful." Teyla said. She glanced over at him. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" John asked as his gaze met hers.

"The artifact is still missing." She said. "What wo…." her sentence was cut short by John.

"I don't care weather it's missing or not." John said as his smile disappeared with the sudden topic change. "I need to get away from everything and get some exercise."

"I hope that nothing happens." Teyla said in a serious tone. "I did not bring my radio and I do not see your radio either."

"I don't want to be interrupted by anyone." He said and then stopped suddenly as a familiar sensation settled over him. Teyla, finally noticing that there was nobody beside her, stopped and turned around to face him.

"John?" She asked trying to get his attention. He paid absolutely no attention to her voice as he tried to figure out what was going on with him. He felt slightly weak like he did before and his vision was unfocused. He blinked repeatedly until Teyla appeared in his vision, unfocused but apparently concerned.

"John…..what's wrong?" Teyla asked looking into his eyes. He blinked a few more times but it didn't help. He squinted at her in an attempt to focus them. She could see that something wasn't right with him as he looked away to try and focus on something that wasn't so close. The look on his face was dead giveaway. She put her hands gently on both of his cheeks. "John…….look at me." She said in a caring and compassionate voice.

John looked at her with his unfocused eyes. "I don't know what's going on now." He said. He was so far away from everyone and he had no radio with him. What would he do if something serious happened when he was out here. And Teyla who had always been there when things happened before would be here this time as well.

He felt his body start to sway slightly as a blanket of dizziness fell over him. He put his hand on the wall to steady himself so he wouldn't fall to the floor. Teyla let go of his face and put a hand on his arm to help him keep his balance. "Maybe you should sit down for a while." She suggested. He nodded and slowly sat down against the wall with Teyla sitting down right beside him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Dr. Weir was working silently at her desk looking through the expedition manifest when Beckett walked into her office. "Dr. Weir….can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked making her look up from her work.

"Sure……" She set the manifest aside and folded her arms neatly on the desk in front of her. "What's up?"

"Well, I am unable to reach Colonel Sheppard." He said.

"That's because he went to bed early." She said in a casual tone despite the attitude that John had given her earlier.

"His room is empty." Beckett said. "I've looked everywhere and so has Dr. Kavanaugh."

"Kavanaugh?" Weir said in disbelief. "Why him?"

"He was looking for him too." Beckett said. "I'm not sure why Dr. Kavanaugh was looking for him but I told Colonel Sheppard to come back in for a check up before he went to bed tonight."

"I sure he'll be back when he wants." Weir said thinking about the little argument that her and Beckett had had earlier when she found out that he had been released from the infirmary. "Wait a couple more hours and if he doesn't come back, we'll send people out to look for him."

Beckett couldn't believe what he was hearing out of her mouth. John could be in danger and it was like she didn't even care. He didn't argue with her even though his instincts as a doctor told him that he should. He silently got up and walked out the door without another word.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Maybe we should head back." Teyla said to John as she stood up. "You should go back to see Dr. Beckett." John didn't want to go back. He had just got out of the infirmary and enjoyed the fresh air free of the smell of band aids and disinfectant. John slowly got up off the floor using the wall for leverage.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked as he steadied himself. He nodded and began to slowly walk beside Teyla. His vision had cleared up but he still felt dizzy.

After walking for a few minutes, John felt another familiar sensation. John squinted his eyes as he felt a twinge in his head. He didn't say anything because he didn't want Teyla to get upset or worried like she did before.

No……not now. This can't be happening. I just got Teyla to cheer up some and now she is going to be all upset again. Not now.

Suddenly, the pain slammed into him like two trains colliding making him drop instantly to the floor. Teyla turned around and watched in horror as he grabbed his head with both hands in an attempt to relieve the pain. She walked over and knelt down in front of him to see what she could do to help. He wasn't yelling or screaming in pain like he did the last time this happened.

"John…….what is happening?" She asked but then scolded herself silently for asking such a stupid question.

"It's………happening…….again." John said with all the energy he could muster. Suddenly, the pain was amplified making him scream out in agony. He was sitting on his knees and was doubled over in pain. Teyla didn't know what to do. He was in more pain this time then any of the other times it happened. She put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him some when he suddenly stopped moving all together.

"John?" She said in an almost frantic tone. "John…..can you hear me?" There was still no answer from him. Her nightmares began to run through her head. She could feel the tears welling up again as the thought of John being dead tormented her. She went to get up to go sit down against the wall when John grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" John asked with a look on his face that Teyla had never seen before. It was a frightened look that she had not once saw on John's face until now. He was scared and she knew it.

"You are awake." She said as she looked into his eyes. He didn't look good. He looked about like he did the last time it happened. He was pale, sweat was beaded up on his forehead, and he was trembling all over. She sighed. "I feared this would happen." Teyla said.

John had a regretful look on his face. He didn't want this to happen. He just wanted to have some relaxing time and wanted to talk to her about the stuff that was on his mind. He couldn't even do that. God……how he wished all of this would be over so he didn't have to constantly worry about these random occurrences.

Teyla stared at his face in horror for almost a minute before he realized why she was looking at him like that. He reached up with his sleeve and wiped away the blood that had started running out of his nose.

"You need to see Dr. Beckett now." Teyla said as she looked into his eyes. She sighed in frustration. "That is not possible right now though."

"Yeah it is." John said. "Leave me here." John knew that he made it perfectly clear to his team members that nobody gets left behind but he realized he actually did need to see the doctor and that he would never make it on is own.

"I cannot leave you here." She said with a sad look on her face. She didn't want to leave him there. He would be alone and defenseless against whoever stole the artifact from McKay's office. "I will not leave."

"Teyla…….I need you to go get Dr. Beckett." He said. "I'll be fine until you get back." She was going to argue but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was genuinely scared and needed to see a doctor. She nodded and hesitantly left his side to go and get Beckett.

John watched her disappear wishing that he had never sent her off. He was strong but he didn't want to be alone. He felt so weak and weakness wasn't a good thing. Especially when there was someone on Atlantis who had it in for him.

After about 5 or so minutes by himself, John figured that he would start down the hall. The slowly stood up making sure not to lose his balance when all of the sudden, he felt an aching pain in the back of his head and everything went black as he surrendered to unconsciousness.

XXXXXXXXXX

So there you have it. That is chapter 8. I hope you like it. Those who are anxiously waiting to find out who stole the artifact, not to worry, next chapter you will find out.

Much Shep Whumping on the way.

To be continued…..


	9. Chapter 9

-1Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_You said you like whumping……well, there is a bit of it here. Thanks to all who read and reviewed chapter 8 and everything before that. When you review, it makes it easier to write more because there is a reason to write more. Her you go……chapter 9._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When John's eyes opened, everything was black. He didn't know exactly where he was or how he got there but he knew that he wasn't in the hall where he started out. He felt his head ache from where he was hit with something really hard. He went to reach up to rub the back of his head but he couldn't. He was tied up to a chair against a wall.

"Must seem strange being the one in trouble this time instead of someone else." A voice said from just ahead of him. He strained his eyes to see who was talking to him but he saw nothing but blackness. "I mean, you are human after all."

He knew that voice. He had heard that voice many times but he couldn't place it. "That voice." John said in a whisper. "I know that voice." He thought and thought about all the people at Atlantis to pinpoint the voice he was hearing when it hit him. He knew who it was.

"Why are you doing this?" John asked in a calm voice

"You really shouldn't have to ask me that question." He said. "I've made my opinions and suggestions completely clear to everyone here and its like I don't even exist. I'm don't sitting back in the shadows while everyone makes decisions that are irresponsible and dangerous."

John couldn't see him but he had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. Suddenly, blinding pain sliced into his head like a hot knife through butter. He tried to stay quiet and act like it wasn't effecting him but eventually, the pain got worse. He screamed out in agony as the pain persisted non stop.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla ran as fast as she could towards Beckett's office but it seemed like she were standing still. She ran for what seemed like an eternity when she finally reached the door to his office. She opened the door and walked in to find the office empty. She leaned against the wall, winded, and looked up at the ceiling.

_What am I going to do? John is still in the corridor and may be in danger. I need to find Dr. Beckett before something bad happens._

"Teyla?" Beckett appeared in the doorway with a shocked look on his face. "What are you doing here love?"

She stepped away from the wall, still winded and began to quickly tell him what happened. "It is John. He needs help. We were in the corridor and……" She had a hard time continuing after that as tears began to fill her eyes.

Beckett walked over to her and put a caring hand on her shoulder. "Hold on…..slow down…what is going on? Where is he?"

"He is in the corridor." She said as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "I did not want to leave him there but he told me to." She covered her face with her hands and started to sob.

Beckett touched the small radio on his ear. "Dr. Weir?" he said into it.

"This is Dr. Weir." She said over the radio. She recognized the voice and continued. "Did you find him yet?" she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"We have a serious problem." He said. "Teyla just came to get me. John is in one of the corridors and from the tone of her voice, someone turned that device on again. I'm on my way out to go get him."

"Good. I'm coming too." Weir said.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

John felt weak as he sat there, bound and in complete darkness. He knew that this was bad. He had no way of defending himself and no way to contact anyone else. _God…..I hope Teyla found Beckett. _He thought to himself. He was desperate now. He was at the mercy of one of Atlantis' best scientists who must have had some sort of psychological breakdown or something because he was acting completely out of character.

"You still with me _colonel_ or is this too much for you?" The voice in the darkness said.

John didn't answer the question. He knew Teyla and Beckett would be on their way soon. All he had to do was stick it out until then.……if he could.

"I asked you a question." He said in a harsh voice.

"What do you want from me?" John asked in a calm tone. Instead of answering the question, he turned the device back on but the pain didn't make him yell or anything this time. He just passed out from the pain.

**XXXXXXXX**

"I thought you said he'd be in the corridor?" Weir asked Teyla in a bit of a snappy tone not remembering how upset Teyla was to begin with.

"He was right there." Teyla said in a frantic tone. She started frantically looking around to find some clue as to where he was. _I should have never left him here. I knew that something bad would happen. I had a bad feeling when we started walking. _Suddenly, she felt two hands gently grab her arms.

"Hey….calm down." Beckett said with a concerned look on his face. "We'll find him." Teyla looked at him with tear filled eyes. She wasn't really gone that long and John was in no condition to just go running off or anything.

"I am worried Dr. Beckett." She said trying hard not to burst into tears. "I was not gone long and I….." Her sentence was cut short by a bloodcurdling scream. Teyla turned in the and looked in the direction of the scream with a look of raw horror on her face. It was like one of her nightmares. All the thoughts of the past few days ran rampid through her head as she fought to stay calm.

"John." She said in a whisper and took off running in the direction of the scream. After she start running in the direction of the scream, Beckett and Weir quickly followed suit and ran after her.

**XXXXXXXX**

"Why are you doing this?" John said after the pain stopped. The room was now well lit and he could see exactly who had been making his life a living hell the past couple days.

"I already answered that question." He said with a look of hate. He had the device firmly in his grasp and was about to press the on button when he froze. John closed his eyes and braced himself for pain but nothing happened.

"That would not be a good idea." Teyla appeared behind him with a knife in her hand, firmly pressed against his throat. "Drop the device." She said in a firm voice. He didn't do as she told him at first but when she pressed the knife harder against his throat, he knew that he didn't dare mess with her and did as he was told.

John felt a wave of relief crash into him. "Teyla." He said.

Teyla was just about to reply to him when Beckett and Weir finally caught up. Once Weir walked into the room, she froze in place with an unbelievable sight before her.

"Kavanaugh?" She said in a surprised voice. She couldn't believe it. She knew he was a pain in the ass and that nobody really liked him but she never in a million years thought he would stoop this low. She glanced over at John who was still tied up against the wall and then looked back at Kavanaugh. "What did you expect to accomplish by doing this." Kavanaugh had no reply.

Hearing absolutely no explanation out of his mouth made Teyla even more angry with him then she already was. She took her free hand and hit him in the head as hard as she could. He stumbled foreward a little and dropped to the floor.

After knowing for sure that Kavanaugh was out cold, Teyla walked over to John and knelt down beside his chair and started to untie his hands. She could barely concentrate on what she was doing because she her hands were shaking so bad.

_I cannot believe that he would do this. What if John died? What if we did not find him? What would he have done to John? _Questions swamped Teyla's brain as she fiddled with the ropes, trying to get them free. Her hands shook so much that she couldn't keep a hold on the rope. Beckett walked over toward them. He put a hand on Teyla's shoulder, whispered something John couldn't hear, and Teyla got up and walked away.

Beckett knelt down and started to untie is ropes. "What was that about?" John asked using what little energy he had left.

"Don't worry about that right now." He said as he continued his work on the ropes.

"I don't get it." Weir said turning to Beckett and John. "Why would he risk his entire career and do something like this? It makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense." John said cutting in. "Just think about it for a second……..he doesn't like the leadership here." He took a deep breath as the talking drained him of what little energy he had. "He takes me hostage and uses me to get his own way." Beckett finally got the ropes untied.

John pulled his hands in front of him and rubbed his wrists. "I'll tell you one thing though……when the Daedalus returns to Earth next time…..He's going to be the first person on it." John said. He was about to get up when Beckett put a hand on his shoulder.

"You aren't going anywhere just yet." He said. If John had more energy, he would have argued about it but he didn't. He sat back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. He felt so weak right now. He actually looked forward to going back to the infirmary so he could just lay down and relax and not get disturbed by anyone.

John lifted his head up again and let his gaze fall on the object of his pain. "That thing needs to be destroyed." He said in an angry but weak voice.

"Don't worry……It will." Weir said as she walked around the room, taking in the details of the walls and objects in the room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla had ran the whole way back to the control room hoping that she could find SGT. Bates. She stopped and looked around. "Seargent Bates." She said in a somewhat loud voice.

"Teyla." He said a little shocked that she would even say anything to him.

"There was an……..incident……..I was told……to find you." She said still breathing hard from her run.

"What happened?" He asked in a firm but still surprised voice.

"It is Colonel Sheppard." She said as her breathing slowed down a little. "Dr. Beckett and Dr. Weir sent me to get you and your team."

"Where are they?" He asked in a firm voice.

Teyla turned and pointed in the direction that she came from. "It is the first corridor." She turned back to Bates. He nodded and went off to get his team together.

Teyla sighed and started walking towards her room. She walked for about five minutes until she finally made it to her room. Right after she walked in, she immediately put her radio earpiece on her ear. She touched it and began to talk.

"Dr. Beckett……Seargent Bates is on his way with his team." She said. She sat down on her bed.

"Thanks you Teyla." He replied.

"I am going to stay here." Teyla said as she layed down on her bed. "I will go visit John later." Beckett didn't say anything in reply but she knew that he understood and knew her reasoning behind it. She pulled the radio earpiece off her ear and layed back on her bed.

Feeling relieved that the person who stole the artifact was found, she closed her eyes and let herself drift away into a blissful and peaceful night sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_There you have it. The thief revealed. The story is nearing the end. I will have at least one more chapter left. Possibly two but I don't know if there will be any more than that. I know that Kavanaugh may have seemed a little OOC but there is a reason for that. You will find out more than that. _

_Sorry to all of those whumping fans out there. There will probably be no more whumping left. I think Shep is all whumped out for this story. Time to get back to the relationships and things like that. Hope you liked this chapter and I hope you come back to read the next._

To be continued…..


	10. Chapter 10

-1Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of it's original characters.

_Okay…..I lied. The story isn't as close to the end as I thought. I realized that there is still a lot of stuff to be explained and one or two chapters isn't going to do it. I still have to explain why Kavanaugh was acting so hostile and where the artifact originally came from. I also thought up some new stuff to put into it that gets more into the John and Teyla (Sheyla) relationship._

_I hope that all of you have enjoyed the story so far. I know my writing style may be a bit odd. I tend to have a lot of loose ends at the beginning. Whether or not any of you have noticed, I have started tying up them loose ends but I think its going to take a long time to finish tying them up._

_Please read and tell me what you think._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When John woke up the next day, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt peaceful. Not having to worry about someone turning the device on made him relax a little. He had hadn't felt so rested in a long time. He knew that Teyla was happier that the person who stole the device had been caught.

_I wonder where Teyla is right now. She left to get Bates and his team I assume but where did she go after that? I hope she didn't get upset again. It took me forever to get her to cheer up some before. What would he do now to cheer her up if she was upset? God….there was so much stuff I need to talk to her about and I'm stuck in the infirmary. _

He layed his head back on his pillow and took a deep breath. There was so much stuff to do and he would be stuck there until Beckett felt it was the right time for him to leave. He had been thinking so much, he didn't realize that Teyla had walked into the room.

"Good morning John." She said with a smile on her face. John picked his head up quickly at the sound of that voice. The voice he wanted so much to hear since he woke up.

"Teyla." He said replying to her smile with a surprised look. She continued to walk into the room until she reached the seat that had been placed beside his bed.

"How are you feeling?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I feel much better." He said with a smirk on his face. The face she loved to see.

"That is good." She said as she shifted to a more comfortable position in the seat. I guess that means that you will not be in here much longer."

"God I hope so." John said in an almost desperate tone. "I'm getting so sick of spending all of my free time in here."

"Maybe we will be able to go for that walk after you get out." Teyla said with a hopeful expression on her face. She actually enjoyed having alone time with him. Maybe she could get him to open up a little and talk to her.

"Now that sounds like a plan." John said as he sat up in his bed. He seemed to have all of his strength back and was looking forward to leaving. He was looking forward to everything that didn't involve pain or the infirmary.

There was a silence that fell between them. He knew that Teyla had stuff on her mind and that she didn't know how to start talking about them or how to talk to him about them.

"Thanks for coming back." John said in a soft voice. He knew he caught her attention when she looked back at him with sad eyes. "I don't know what Kavanaugh would've done if you hadn't stopped him."

"I feared for your life." Teyla said with the same sad look on her face.

"I know." John said. There was another silence that fell between them but the silence was broken when Beckett walked into the room.

"You're finally awake I see." Beckett said in a friendly tone.

"What do you mean finally?" John asked with a confused look on his face.

"It's two in the afternoon son." He said and smiled as John's eyes widened at those words.

"You're kidding…..right?" John asked still a little shocked about what Beckett said.

"Afraid not." He said.

"Well, I will see you later John." Teyla said. John smiled at her as she got up and walked out of the infirmary.

"I have good news for you though." Beckett said getting John's attention.

"Really." John said in a depressed tone at the thought of being in the infirmary for god knows how long.

"Aye." Beckett said with a smile on his face. "I think its time you got out of here."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla decided after she got out of the infirmary that she needed time to think. She walked until she got to the balcony that her and John had been on a couple days ago. She slowly walked out to the edge savoring the feeling the cool ocean breeze gave her as it blew through her hair. She leaned against the railing and gazed at the seemingly endless water that surrounded Atlantis.

She must have stood there for a good half hour just thinking about stuff that was on her mind and feelings that seemed to take over her entire body the past couple days. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't even hear the door open up.

"Out here alone again?" John said making her jump and turn around to look at him.

"John….what are you doing out of the infirmary?" Teyla said.

"I was released." He said with a smile on her face as he walked out to the edge. He leaned over the edge beside her. "I thought maybe we could go on that walk."

She turned to him and gave him a smile. "Maybe we should." They both simultaneously started walking towards the door. John opened the door and allowed her to exit the room first following close after her. Finally, he was going to have some time alone with Teyla so he could talk to her.

As they were walking, Teyla could feel his eyes on her. She could tell when he was looking at her. It was obvious that there was something on his mind but would he be willing to tell her about it.

She looked at him. "Is there something on your mind?"

A look of panic flashed across John's face after hearing her question. He was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to explain to her all of the billions of thoughts that were running through his head at the moment.

"John?" She said trying to get his attention as he zoned out for a minute.

John looked at her. "Never mind." He said as they kept walking. "It's something that I have to figure out on my own."

Teyla smirked after hearing what he said. "You have said that once before."

"It's complicated." John said. He couldn't tell Teyla just yet what was on his mind. He trusted her but feared what she would do or say when he did tell her. Would she freak out and run off? Would she tell him that she felt the same way and that she wanted to be with him? Yeah right! Just his luck, the first scenario would have been more likely.

There was a silence that hung in the air between them as they walked down a long corridor. Teyla had no idea where they were going and had the events of their last walk playing over and over again in her head like a broken record.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" She asked with a hint of concern in her voice. John stopped and touched her arm making her stop and face him.

"Teyla…….there's nothing to worry about this time." He said with a reassuring look on his face. It wasn't convincing enough for her and he knew it. "I'm fine."

Teyla let out a frustrated sigh and turned away from him. "You have said that many times." She could feel her emotions taking hold of her body again. Every time he said he was fine something bad happened and she was always there trying to figure out how to help him.

"There's nothing to worry about this time." John said as he began to walk towards her.

She put her hands up in the air in frustration. John stopped dead. "Only until something bad happens." She knew he heard the change in his voice. She could feel tears welling up but she couldn't help it.

"If you want to go back……we can." He said in a soft tone. He was trying his hardest not to upset her any more. She put her arms down but didn't say anything. She was froze in the spot she stood. "Teyla?" He said in the same soft voice as before. She didn't say anything which prompted John to take a closer look. He slowly walked up behind her and placed his hands on the sides of her shoulders

Teyla was trembling all over but John knew it was because she must have been crying. "Teyla…..what's wrong?"

There was nothing but silence for a second. John was about to say something when he heard her voice. "I do not know?" She said in a faint voice….almost a whisper.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Hey…….I've got it." McKay said in an ecstatic tone of voice that made Weir jump.

"Got what Rodney?" She said as she walked over to him. Rodney looked up at her with a grin on his face.

"My theory was correct." He said and when he didn't hear an immediate response from her, it prompted him to keep on going. "The device I found in the lower levels of the city was in fact wraith. But it wasn't designed to detect broken bones like I originally thought."

"Then what was it designed for?" She asked him as she sat down beside him at the table.

"It was designed to do exactly what it's been doing to Colonel Sheppard the past few days." McKay said. "It does detect broken bones but that's so the only people it would effect would be the Ancients or in Colonel Sheppard's case…..people with the Ancient gene."

"Yeah but others have the ancient gene here……why wouldn't it effect them as well?" She said in a confused tone.

"Well…..apparently the wraith were a little bit smarter than we thought. The device was designed so it wouldn't effect those with gene therapy. That's why it doesn't effect me or anyone else who has had the gene therapy done."

"Well that explains a lot." Weir said.

"But I suggest that we destroy it as soon as possible because as long as that thing is on Atlantis, Colonel Sheppard isn't safe." McKay said with a concerned look on his face.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

John and Teyla's walk got cut short again but not by an emergency this time. This time it was because she was upset. Her emotions were so crazy, she didn't know what to do about what she was feeling. Her thoughts and feelings were jumbled up leaving her confused and frustrated. She knew that she needed to sort out her feelings because people were starting to notice her change in mood and behavior.

_What will happen if they find out? How will people see me when that happens? I cannot tell him how I feel. What am I going to do?_

"Teyla." A familiar voice said from behind her. She whipped her head around to see Dr. Heightmeyer standing there.

"Dr. Heightmeyer……how are you today?" Teyla said almost in panic that someone had actually noticed her there. She actually thought she was alone. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, Dr. Beckett asked me to talk to you. He seemed a bit concerned." She said. "He said that you've haven't been acting yourself lately." Teyla didn't say anything but the look on her face told Dr. Heightmeyer that what she said was true. "I was wondering if you could come to my office later so we can talk."

"I think that maybe I should." Teyla said finally admitting to herself that she needed help dealing with her emotions.

"Well, I'm free in about an hour so come to my office and I will be expecting you." She said to Teyla.

"Thank you." Teyla said to her just before watching her walk away.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_So there is chapter 10. Not sure what I'm going to get into in the next chapter but I will try to make is good. I hope you liked chapter 10. I'm not sure when I will be able to update again because I have dial up internet and ive been having trouble with it lately._

To be continued…..


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of it's original characters.

_I guess a few people didn't like chapter 10. That doesn't bother me though. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I respect people for being honest about their thoughts. There is a reason why Teyla is acting so strange but its in the near future._

_Anyway, all the others who reviewed, you seemed to like it and I'm glad you did. Thanks to all who reviewed. I will try to make chapter 11 good. Please read and tell me what you think. Warning………Kavanaugh may be a little OOC in this chapter as well. I know the last chapter with him turned out fine but this one is a little different. _

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla didn't know weather she should tell Dr. Heightmeyer about everything that was going through her head or just the nightmares that she had. She knew that Dr. Heightmeyer would help. She did the last time she went to talk to her. Millions of thoughts flooded her brain as she walked to Dr. Heightmeyer's office. She knew that she had to tell someone and she knew that Dr. Heightmeyer wasn't allowed to tell anyone about that they talk about.

Teyla hesitated for a minute when she reached Dr. Heightmeyer's door. _Should I not tell John about my feelings first? I am sure he would understand. Does he not share the same feelings? _She shook her head and turned around. She was about to walk away when the door behind her opened.

"Teyla." the voice called out behind her. It was Dr. Heightmeyer. Teyla slowly turned around.

"Dr. Heightmeyer." She said.

"Why don't you come on in." She said as she motioned for Teyla to follow her into her office. Dr. Heightmeyer sat down in one chair and Teyla sat in the chair that was facing her.

"So…..Dr. Beckett tells me that you haven't been acting like yourself lately." She said in a friendly voice.

"No……I have not." Teyla said in a friendly but sad tone. "There are many reasons why."

"Dr. Beckett also told me that you said something to Colonel Sheppard about having nightmares again." She said. Teyla didn't say anything……she just nodded. Dr. Herightmeyer crossed her legs and changed positions to get more comfortable. "Are they nightmares about the wraith like they were last time?" Teyla took a deep breath to get ready to tell Dr. Heightmeyer about how she was having nightmares about John being dead.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

John was more than just a little pre-occupied as he made his way to the holding cell that Kavanaugh was placed in. Why was Teyla acting so strange? He knew that she was upset before because she thought he was going to die because of the artifact but why was she acting so strange now? There were so many questions that needed to be answered but he had to be patient. First thing he wanted to know was why Kavanaugh did what he did.

As he walked into the room that the holding cell was in, he actually felt a little nervous. He had been in much worse situations but he had never had one of his own people turn on him like Kavanaugh did for no reason at all……or at lease he thought.

"Hello Colonel Sheppard." Kavanaugh said in an angry tone when he saw John enter the room. John kept a calm and cool face as he walked up towards the edge of the cell. "Come to give me a lecture for what I did to you?"

"No." John said in a calm voice.

"Oh…you're going to interrogate me…..right?" He said in the same tone as before.

"I only have one question for you." John said.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Kavanaugh said.

"Why?" John said in a serious and slightly angry tone.

"I already told you……I'm sick of the way things are run around here." Kavanaugh said. "I though I made that perfectly clear the first time you asked me that question."

"Well, you're not gonna have to worry about that much longer because as soon as the daedalus leaves for Earth……you're gonna be on it." John said in a calm and satisfied tone. Seeing Kavanaugh leave after what happened was the most satisfying thing he could see. He didn't care what happened after he got to earth…..he was just glad that he was leaving.

John didn't feel like wasting his time with Kavanaugh any more. He turned around and walked towards the door.

"What really got me was the way Teyla reacted to the whole thing." Kavanaugh said in a cruel tone. John stopped dead in his tracks at that remark.

_That son of a bitch. _John was so mad he wanted to go over to him and beat the shit out of him but he knew that if he did, he would be just as bad as Kavanaugh. He had to hold his temper this time.

"Especially seeing her cry like that." Kavanaugh said.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"So what are the nightmares about if they aren't about the wraith?" Dr. Heightmeyer asked with a confused look on her face. What would she possibly have nightmares about besides the wraith? "Does this have anything to do with the artifact that Dr. McKay found?"

"It does." Teyla said in a relieved voice. She was glad that Dr. Heightmeyer had guessed what it was so she didn't have to find away to tell her.

"Why would you have nightmares about that?" Dr. Heightmeyer asked still confused about it.

"My nightmares were about what was happening to John." She said in a sad tone. "I could not do anything about it."

"Teyla, you were there and that's what counts." Dr. Heightmeyer said. She slid herself forward on her chair and leaned a little closer. "I'm sure he's thankful for that."

"I know." Teyla said with the same sad look.

"It's more than just the nightmares that are bothering you…….isn't it?" Dr. Heightmeyer asked knowing that it was something much more that was bothering her. She had nightmares in the past that were much worse and they didn't bother her nearly as bad.

"You did not see him in as much pain as I did." Teyla said. "I could not bear to see him like that and if you loved him as much as I do, you would……" Her voice trailed off as she realized what she had said. She closed her eyes and mentally scolded herself for the direction that she had unintentionally led the conversation into.

"I see." Dr. Heightmeyer said in a calm and even tone. Suddenly all the pieces fit together and she knew what was going on. Teyla had feelings for him and seeing him in pain bothered her more then she led people to believe.

"Teyla…..have you told Colonel Sheppard about these feelings?" She asked Teyla in the same tone of voice as before. Teyla just shook her head. Dr. Heightmeyer smirked slightly at her. "Maybe if you tell him about these feelings, you might feel better."

"I cannot tell him." Teyla said with a regretful look on her face.

"Are you afraid that if you tell him it will complicate things?" She asked. There was no answer out of Teyla's mouth which prompted Dr. Heightmeyer to continue. "I think you being the way you have been the past few days is complicating things more then if you actually told him how you feel."

Teyla ran her hand through her hand through her hair with confusion. "I believe that he will understand but I am afraid that his feelings may differ from my own."

"Well……there is only one way to find out." Dr. Heightmeyer said.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When Weir walked into the room where Kavanaugh's holding cell was, she couldn't believe her eyes. Just after she walked into the room, she saw Kavanaugh pinned up against the wall by John with a a gun pointed at his face.

"Colonel Sheppard…..what are you doing?" She said in a rather loud tone.

"What's the matter Colonel Sheppard? Did I strike a nerve with you?" Kavanaugh said in almost a whisper.

"You've crossed the line this time." John said with more hate in his voice then Weir had ever heard.

"Colonel Sheppard…" Weir said again to get his attention an hopefully get him to put the gun down.

"I'm done dealing with him…….He's gone too far this time." John said in the same tone of voice.

Weir couldn't think of anything else to tell him to get him to put the gun down. She didn't understand this sudden shift in mood. He seemed like he was in such a good mood before and now he was ready to shoot one of the expedition members. Regardless of what happened, Kavanaugh didn't deserve to be shot.

Suddenly the door opened. Teyla walked in the door and over to Weir. "Dr. Weir…..may I……" Her sentence trailed off and her gaze shifted from Weir to John who was still pointing a gun at Kavanaugh. "John?" She said in a soft voice that was too soft for John to hear.

"Speaking of the devil." Kavanaugh said. John didn't move a muscle to see what he was talking about.

Teyla took a deep breath and slowly started walking towards John.

"Come on…..shoot me." Kavanaugh said in a taunting voice. "You know you want to."

John held him tighter against the wall. "Don't tempt me Kavanaugh……..because I'm not afraid screwing up my career. I've already done it once so it wouldn't bother me one bit. You're looking at the end of your career and the beginning of a prison sentence."

"My career, amounted to almost nothing here anyway." Kavanaugh said in a resentful voice. "Prison might actually be a step up from this place."

"John." Teyla said as she put one hand on his shoulder. He turned hid head towards her after hearing her voice. "Do not do this John."

"Teyla…..what are you doing here?" John said still not taking his aim off Kavanaugh.

"John…..please." Teyla said. She out the other hand on top of the gun that was still aimed at Kavanaugh and began to slowly push it down. "You cannot do this."

With the gun now pointed down at the floor but Kavanaugh was still being pinned to the wall, John sighed in frustration and his grip on Kavanaugh slowly loosened up. Once John had completely let go of him, Kavanaugh just stayed there against the wall as Teyla walked with John out of the cell.

"Colonel……I need to have a word with you in my office." Weir said in a stern voice. John looked at Weir, then at Teyla, and then back at Weir. He nodded and followed Weir out the door with Teyla not too far behind.

After getting out of the room, John and Weir went one way and Teyla went another way.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"What the hell was that about?" Weir said in a sharp tone purposely not holding back so John would know how angry she was. He didn't answer….he just glared at her. "I asked you a question Colonel."

"I had my reasons." John said without breaking his glare.

"_You had your reasons?_" Weir asked. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Look……you didn't hear what he said to me." John said in an irritated tone. Weir lifted an eyebrow in invitation for him to continue. "He did this all on purpose."

"I know that already." Weir said still unsatisfied with the answer she got.

"Not only was he trying to get to me…….but he was trying to get to Teyla as well." John said in the same irritated tone.

"Teyla?" She said quite puzzled about the statement. "Why would he want to get to Teyla?"

John got up from his seat and walked to the door. "Because he knew that I'd react to it." Weir was about to ask another question when John walked out of her office without so much as a glance back at her.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_There you have it. Chapter 11. You got to see a little bit of Shep's temper. Little bit more emotional stuff from Teyla and her finally admitting that she has feelings for Shep. I think I'm going to have more Shep/Teyla (Sheyla) moments in the next chapter. I'm not sure. Not quite sure where I'm going with the rest of the story so it might be a while before I update again._

To be continued…..


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_Wow, a lot of people liked the last chapter. Thanks to all who reviewed. I just started posting this story on another website. Kinda excited about that._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

After talking to Weir, John had a lot to think about. He needed to keep his temper in check or they were going to send him back to earth and that would not be good thing because then he wouldn't be able to see Teyla again.

The events of the day played through his head like a movie as he made his way to his room. Why did he let Kavanaugh get to him like that? Why did it make him so angry? Kavanaugh was locked up and couldn't do any more damage but it still didn't give him a good feeling with him still at Atlantis.

Not only did he make Weir upset, but Teyla saw him and was probably wondering what all of it was about. He took a deep breath and tried to block it out of his head as he walked the rest to the way to his room.

He didn't get very far when Teyla saw him. She went up to him. "John…..I was wondering…..may we talk for a minute?"

"Well, I was just on my way to my room but sure." He said as he stopped only about 10 feet from the door of his room.

"What happened today?" She asked with a concerned look on her face. Why was it that he knew that she would ask about that?

"Oh….that." John said in a disappointed voice. He took a deep breath. "Listen, its nothing…..I just lost my temper."

"John, you had your gun aimed at him." She said reinforcing her concern.

"Teyla…..don't worry about it." John said just brushing her off again.

"Why will you not tell me anything?" Teyla said. John just stood there in disbelief. He didn't think she would react this way. "Do you not trust me?"

"Teyla….you know I trust you." John said. "I always have."

"Then why will you not tell me anything?" Teyla said in a slightly raised voice. This really got John wondering what was wrong with her. She had never really acted like this before.

"It's complicated." John said.

"Is there not one thing in your life that is simple?" She asked in the same tone of voice.

"Teyla……what's wrong?" John said.

"What do you mean?" Teyla asked in a bit of a snappy tone. She was obviously still irritated that John wouldn't tell her why he had Kavanaugh at gun point.

"You're acting kinda strange right now." John said in a confused tone of voice. He still didn't know why she was so upset. Just the other day, she said that it was okay and he didn't have to tell her anything and that if he wanted to keep things to himself, it was fine.

"Do you not want to share things that are bothering you?" Teyla said in a bit of a raised voice. "Do you not want people to listen and help when you need it?"

"Teyla, I don't get it." John started. "Last time I was ready to tell you everything that was on my mind, you said that I didn't have to and that you were fine with it."

"I did not speak the truth." Teyla said almost yelling. on……what's going on?" John said still confused and now a bit worried at her peculiar behavior.

"Is it not obvious?" She said almost in a whisper. They stood there, their eyes meeting for a few moments on complete silence. Teyla sighed and walked away leaving John there to think about what she said and her strange behavior.

_What the hell is wrong with her? I don't get it. Just the other day she said that everyone keeps their secrets and that I didn't have to share anything with her if I didn't want to. She has been really moody lately. I've never seen her cry so much and I don't know how to cheer her up. She was getting so she was happier and then Kavanaugh screwed it all up. Why was she acting so strange? 'Is it not obvious?' What did that mean? Is it possible that she has feelings for me like I do for her? Will she ever tell me how she feels or will she always keep it a secret from me and the rest of people at Atlantis?_

John stood there for a good 10 minutes just taking in everything that just happened. He couldn't believe that she would react to him not telling her what Kavanaugh said with such anger. He didn't think she would actually yell at him. He knew that she was worried about him but he had no idea how deep her worry went. He began walking the rest of the way to his room when McKay walked up to him.

"Can I talk to you for a minute Colonel?" McKay said.

"Not right now McKay." John said and walked through his door making sure that it closed behind him. _What was that about? Normally he doesn't just blow me off like that. Well, I just saw Teyla walk off so maybe something happened between them. Why is she in such a bad mood today? Did something happen that I missed? _McKay sighed and walked away.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Later on that day, Weir decided that she should get a little more information about what happened between John and Kavanaugh. In all the time she worked with him, she didn't remember a single time where she saw him lose his temper that bad. He looked like he was actually going to shoot him. Could whatever he said have been bad enough to warrant an execution? Suddenly, Weir stopped dead in her tracks and stared down at a lifeless figure on the floor.

"Oh my god!" She said as she knelt down. It was Teyla. Why was she laying unconscious on the floor? Then she looked at the set of stairs about three feet away. She checked for Teyla's pulse, there was a pulse and she was breathing. She wiggled Teyla's shoulder a little. "Teyla…..Teyla wake up." She didn't get a response.

She touched the her radio on her ear. "Carson." She said hoping that he would answer.

"This is Carson." He said over the radio.

"I need your help." She said. "I just found Teyla unconscious. I think she fell down the stairs near her the living quarters."

"Okay, stay with her….I'll be right there." Beckett said. As the radio cut out, Weir turned her attention back to Teyla.

After a few minutes of sitting ther next to Teyla on the floor, Teyla's eyes fluttered and slowly opened up. "Oh good. You're awake." She said sighing with relief. Teyla nodded at her. "Did you fall down the stairs?"

"I believe so." Teyla said in a quiet tone. "It is not very clear so I am not sure." Teyla started to sit up when Weir put a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay still." Weir said. "Beckett is on the way." Teyla gave in and relaxed a little. Her head was throbbing and she didn't feel like arguing with anyone.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

There was a knock on the door to McKay's office. John didn't wait to get an answer, he just walked in. "Okay McKay….what did you want to talk to me about earlier?"

"Oh good, you're finally interested in what I have to say." McKay said in an annoyed tone. "It only has to do with the artifact I found and why it effects you the way it does." He picked up the artifact that had been sitting on the table next to him.

"What the hell is that doing here?" John said taking a step back. "I thought that was going to be destroyed."

"It is going to be destroyed." McKay said. "I wanted to tell you what I found out about it."

"Okay." John said. He walked over to a seat and sat down to listen to McKay ramble. "What did you find out about it?" he added with his eyebrows raised in inviting McKay to continue.

"What I found out is that it's wraith in origin but it wasn't exactly designed to detect broken bones." McKay said.

"Obviously." John said. "What was it designed for then?"

"It was designed almost like a weapon to use against the ancients." McKay said. "The whole x-ray thing was just a cover up."

"How come it doesn't effect you and everyone else that have had the gene therapy and it effects only me?" He asked as he shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Well, that's another interesting fact about it." He said. "It only effects people who have the specific gene and doesn't have any effect whatsoever to people with gene therapy. So apparently it only effects you."

"Okay…..but it was on in the lab when you found it, right?" John asked thinking about the day when the whole mess started.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Then why didn't it effect me before we went down there?" John asked.

"Ah…..I'm glad you brought that up." McKay said. "When the wraith made it, they only equipped it with a range of about 50 feet."

"So that means when Teyla and I went on that walk, he actually followed us so he could get close enough." John said.

"Who followed you?" McKay asked apparently not knowing about them finally finding out who was behind it.

"Was it Kavanaugh?" McKay asked thinking back to when he was looking at the manifest and seeing his name. He also thought about the peculiar behavior he had seen in him the past few days.

"Yeah." John said. He stood up and began to walk towards the door. "Listen, I'm gonna go and try to find Teyla."

"Oh……I know where she is. McKay said with his voice trailing a off a bit at the end of his sentence because he knew how John would react.

McKay knew that John wanted to know so he just spit it out the best way he knew how. He sighed. "She's in the infirmary."

"What?" John said in a raised voice. "How'd she end up in the infirmary?"

"I don't know but I do know that her injuries aren't that serious." McKay was about to tell him how it happened when he just walked out the door without another word.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_There you have it. I know it may be a bit of a boring chapter but bear with me……I'll get better. Confessions are coming up but I'm not sure when exactly. Sorry about not updating for so long but I had a hard time writing this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon._

To be continued…..


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_Wow, within a couple days I got 7 reviews. That is actually a surprise. To clear something up, the whole thing about the Shep having the specific gene, I'm going on the information in the first episode when Weir says with concentration, they can make it work but with John Sheppard, he does it naturally. Also when Beckett says the specific gene is very rare. Maybe I read those statements wrong but in this story, the artifact only effects people who are like Sheppard who "Does it naturally"_

_Thank you to all who reviewed. Someone mentioned that they wanted to see some more Shep Whumpage. I know I said that he was all whumped out but I might go and pick on him some more._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Okay…..what's wrong with her?" John asked Beckett just after walking into the infirmary.

"I thought you'd come eventually." He said in a soft voice just before sighing. "She has a minor concussion and a broken ankle."

"What happened?" John asked in a concerned tone.

"She fell down the stairs." Weir said making both men jump slightly and turn to look at her. "I found her unconscious at the bottom."

"Any idea what caused her to fall down the stairs?" John asked as he leaned against the wall. "Because she isn't exactly a clutz."

"I don't know." Weir said. "She cant even remember what exactly caused it to happen." There was a blanket of silence that fell over the room for a few minutes until Weir continued.

"Who knows…..maybe she was pre-occupied with something she was thinking about." She said. At that moment, John knew what it was. They had just recently gotten into an argument and she walked off a kind of upset.

_God damn it John! Why couldn't you just talk to her like she wanted? Why do you have to be so damn stubborn all the time? This is your fault for getting her upset again._ John shook his head. "No." He said out loud leaving everyone in the room baffled.

"What?" Weir asked confused by what he said.

"Never mind." John said. He turned to Beckett. "When can I visit her?"

"You can go ahead in now if you want." Beckett said. "But if she's asleep, I don't want you waking her up."

"Don't worry, I won't." John said in a serious voice as he turned to walk into the room where the beds were and where Teyla would be.

John tiptoed to the end of the room and grabbed a chair so that he could sit next to her bed.

"John." She said as she saw him walk across the room to get the chair.

"Teyla." He said turning around at the sound of her voice. "I didn't know you were awake." He said as he slowly carried the chair over to set it down on the floor next to her bed.

"I was just resting my eyes." She said in a casual tone. Guilt must have flashed across his face when he sat down because she was squinting her eyes at him as if to figure out what was wrong. "Something is bothering you."

"Yeah." John said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What is it?" Teyla asked seeing the same guilty look on John's face.

"They told me that you fell down the stairs." John said. "What made it happen?"

"I do not understand." Teyla said with a confused look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"How did you fall down the stairs?" He asked. "They said that maybe it was because you were pre-occupied with something."

"I do not remember completely." Teyla said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, when we talked earlier, you left kind of upset." He said with a guilty look on his face. "I just hope that it wasn't anything I said that had you so pre-occupied that you would fall down the stairs."

"John……it is not your fault." Teyla said with reassurance in her voice. She didn't want him to feel guilty about what happened to her. He wasn't there. He didn't even know about it until she was in the infirmary.

"Sure feels like it is." John said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Do not blame yourself." She said. "I should not have been pressuring you to talk to me when you did not want to." She sighed. "Your reasons for being mad at Dr. Kavanaugh are between you and him." She had to say something to make him feel better. She still wanted to know what made him so mad to hold him at gun point but she also knew that he would tell her in time and when he was ready. Somehow, she knew that it had something to do with her but couldn't be sure until he tells her.

"Yeah." John said failing to find a better thing to say. He couldn't tell her what Kavanaugh said. It would be like broadcasting to her his feelings. He couldn't do that. He would tell her when he was ready. When would he be ready to tell her how he feels? He sat there for a few moments in complete silence trying to think of something to say. "Maybe I should leave and let you get some rest."

"You do not have to leave if you do not wish to." Teyla said with a hopeful look on her face. She wanted him to stay but she didn't want to tell him strait out.

"Why, do you want me to stay?" John asked hoping that she would say yes but feeling nervous if she did and what he would say back to her.

"Only if you wish." She said. She looked at him for a few minutes in silence as if to read him but then continued. "You look like you need more rest than I do."

"Yeah." John said. Then he did something that Teyla didn't expect at all. He genly took her hand into his and placed a gentle kiss on the back as he was getting up. "See you tomorrow." He gave her an innocent smirk and walked out of the room leaving Teyla baffled and happy all at the same time.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Later on that night, John wanted to go to sleep but it was just impossible. After trying for about two hours, he decided to take a walk to the control room. Maybe there was someone there with the inability to sleep like him. As he walked, he let his mind run through his thoughts about what had happened when he was in the infirmary visiting Teyla. Had he made a wrong move by kissing Teyla on the hand? It didn't seem like it bothered her. It wasn't like he was strait out telling her that he loved her or anything. It was a simple friendly gesture. Back in olden days on Earth, men would do that to charm women. They didn't have to know them. With Teyla it was much different than that. They knew each other quite well. After working with each other so long, she and him became quite close and it seemed like things were moving forward towards something more than friendship.

_No, there is no way that she feels the same way as me. It's impossible. Why would she want to be with someone like me? I never tell her anything that im thinking and I know it bothers her. The key to a good relationship is communication and trust. There's trust there but there is a lack of communication. It would be nice if she did feel the same way though. More like a dream come true._

John's thoughts came to a hault when he walked into the control room. Besides the normal amount of people that stood watch in the control room, there seemed to be at least one other person from his team who couldn't sleep. It was McKay.

"Oh, so I see that I'm not the only one who's a chronic insomniac around here." McKay said with a silly grin on his face. "So what's keeping you up so late?"

"I had a long day." John said as he plopped himself lazily in the seat near McKay. "What's your excuse?" He said in a tired voice.

"All I've done for twelve hours is research." McKay said in a tired voice.

"And your still doing research?" John said.

"Well, I'm checking to see if I left anything out when I was researching earlier." McKay said in a tired voice. "So…what happened to Teyla? Did you visit her?"

"Yeah." John said. "She fell down the stairs."

"How the hell did that happen……I mean, she doesn't exactly strike me as the type of person who would be a clutz."

"Don't know." John said. "Everyone seems to think that she was pre-occupied with something. Like she was thinking and weren't paying attention and lost her footing."

"Seems logical but what could she possible be pre-occupied with?" McKay asked suddenly stopping what he was doing and looking at him.

John sighed in frustration. "I think it was something I said……….or more likely something I didn't say." He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. "She left kind of upset because I wouldn't tell her why I had Kavanaugh at gunpoint today."

"Wait a minute……..you had Kavanaugh at gunpoint?" McKay said with a smirk on his face. "What did he say to get you that upset?"

"Never mind." John said. He didn't know weather it was safe enough to tell McKay about it. What if he could read between the lines and tell Teyla how he felt? What if he could already tell?

"Was it something to do with Teyla?" McKay asked almost knowing what John was thinking. John didn't say anything but the look on his face told McKay that it was exactly what it was about.

"Yeah well, I came pretty damn close to blowing him away today." John said in a serious tone. "It's a good thing Teyla walked in when she did."

"I bet Elizabeth wasn't too happy about it." McKay said.

"She wasn't at first but I explained it and I think she's fine with it now." John said. "Or at least it seems that way." John rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair a couple times. "What time is it anyway?"

McKay looked at the time on the laptop. "About one in the morning."

"Wow." John said just before yawning. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night." John got up from his chair and gave McKay a quick wave before walking out of the control room. He was going to go strait to his room but decided to take a detour instead. He walked for about five minutes just taking his time and enjoying how quiet everything was. He stopped just outside the infirmary.

_Should I go in there and sit by Teyla tonight? Would it be too obvious to her how I feel if I did that? No. It wouldn't at all. She sat with me when I was in the infirmary and she couldn't sleep. No. She said that I should go get some sleep so I think that's exactly what I'm going to do._

He continued walking down the hall with Teyla still in his thoughts as he made his way towards his room. He still didn't feel that tired but when he got to his room, he reluctantly walked into his room, took his shoes off, and flopped himself down on the bed. After another hour and a half, John drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_I hope people liked this chapter. It's a little boring, I know. I thought it would be nice to throw the little kiss on the back of the hand in there. I figured that throughout the series, or at least through season 1, he seemed a little like a charmer and it seemed like the right thing to throw in. Something that would show that he has feelings for her but also something that is kinda innocent at the same time. _

_Sorry about taking so long to update. I was working on the next 2 chapters so I hope you like this one. Tell me what you think about it._

To be continued…..


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_I know its been an eternity since I've updated but I had the entire story finished. I was going to start posting the rest of the story but my computer crashed before I got a chance to back up my files so I have to re-write the last 4 or 5 chapters. _

_Things are going to get interesting now……they already know who was behind it and a lot of other things have happened. I'm thankful for the people who have reviewed it so far and am really surprised at how many people actually like it. _

_So……here it is, chapter 14. I hope you like it and I really look forward to getting reviews so please tell me what you think_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The next morning when John woke up, he felt pretty good. Maybe it was because of the rest that he got or maybe it was because of him kissing Teyla's hand the night before when he went to visit her in the infirmary. He had no idea but he liked feeling this way.

He could not get Teyla out of his head as he changed his clothes and put his shoes on. _God……I wanna go visit her now but I don't want to rush things. _He shook his head. _But if I don't visit her now, she might be out of the infirmary. _John shook his head again. He made up his mind, he was going to go visit her.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Okay Rodney…..what did you want to see me for?" Weir said as she walked into the lab to find an irritated and grumpy Rodney McKay sitting by the table with his arms crossed across his chest.

"It's gone again." he said with a scowling look on his face.

"What do you mean its gone?" Weir asked which irritated him even more.

"_What do I mean its gone?_ Its gone. You want me to spell it out for you, G-O-N-E gone." McKay said in a louder tone. "That device was specifically designed to hurt people like Colonel Sheppard and that is exactly what it is doing."

"Okay Rodney….calm down." Weir said. "I understand what the artifact does to him." she let out a sigh of frustration. "I think we may have to confine people to their quarters until its found."

"I think that's a good thing to do because we haven't even begun to figure out if this thing has any long term health effects and….." he was cut short.

"Okay Rodney. I'll go make an announcement to the city so we can begin our search." She began to walk out when McKay stopped her.

"Make sure you find Colonel Sheppard. In fact, I think you should probably take him to the infirmary just in case whoever has the artifact, turns it on." Rodney said with a worried look on his face.

"I have a feeling he is already on his way there to see Teyla so don't worry." She said just before walking out of the lab.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

John was almost to the infirmary when the intercom to the city came on. "People of Atlantis, this is Dr. Elizabeth Weir. There has been a slight security breech and I ask that everyone please either return to your quarters of go to the nearest room you can find until further notice. Thank you."

John looked up as if there was a speaker right above his head. "What the hell is going on?" he asked himself in almost a whisper as he continued to the infirmary.

Immediately after he walked into the infirmary, Beckett walked up to him with a relieved look on his face. "Oh…thank god you're finally here."

"What the hell is going on?" John asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I don't know the full details but Elizabeth just contacted me and told me to keep you here if you came." Beckett sounded slightly worried.

"Okay." he said in a skeptical tone.

"She said that she is on her way to give you the details about what is going on." Beckett said.

John nodded and then continued with his original plan. "So, how's Teyla?"

"She's just fine. As a matter of fact, I was just about to release her until this happened." He said.

"Good." John said as he continued on his quest to see Teyla. He walked further into the infirmary but all of the beds were empty. He was about to worry until he heard a familiar voice.

"John." Teyla said from the other end of the room. He turned to find her hobbling on a pair of crutches. "I did not think you were going to come here so early this morning."

"I had to come to see if you were alright." John said as he walked over to the chair that was sitting by the bed once used by Teyla and sat down. "Especially after everything that happened yesterday."

"Well I am fine." Teyla said as she hobbled back to the bed and sat down on the bed facing the same side that John was sitting at.

"That and I kinda wanted to talk to you about something." John said. At that moment, his heart started pounding and his palms got clammy. He was finally going to tell her how he felt. It took him long enough and he figured it was about time he stop keeping her in the dark. He wiped his hands on his pant legs and sighed. He was just about to start talking when Weir and Beckett walked in.

"John…….we have a serious problem that we have to discuss." john whipped his head around to see Weir as she walked closer to the bed where they both were. "As you may have noticed, I've told everyone to stay in their rooms momentarily."

"Yeah, speaking of which…..what the hell is going on?" John said getting strait to the point.

"The artifact is missing." Weir said just as quick getting to the point as John was. "Not only that, but Kavanaugh is missing as well."

"What?" John said with a strange look on his face. He was confused, angry and worried all at the same time. "I though they were both locked up?"

"They were but Kavanaugh broke out of his holding cell and stole the artifact from the lab and we don't know where he is now." She said

"Okay……well let's go find him." John said as he got up and started towards the door.

"You're staying here." Weir said.

"Excuse me?" He said.

"If he turns that thing on, I want you here where Carson can treat you." she said in a firm and commanding voice.

"You cant just expect me to sit still while he's out there with the artifact." He said with a betrayed look on his face.

"Well, I'm sorry but whether you like it or not, you are staying here and that's an order." Weir said. She didn't give him time to argue this time. She just turned around and walked out leaving John irritated and angry.

John took a couple of deep breaths and started pacing back and forth in the infirmary. "I need to be out there." he said as he paced.

"You need to stay here like you were told." Teyla said in a concerned voice. She knew he was planning on going after Kavanaugh even if it meant disobeying a direct order and putting his own health in danger.

"Teyla I can't just stay here and wait to see if they found Kavanaugh or not. I can't." John said.

"Well, if you are going, then I am going with you." Teyla said.

"Teyla….with your leg the way it is, you shouldn't be out walking around on it." John said. "If you got hurt in the process, I'd never be able to live with myself."

"I cannot let you go out there all by yourself." Teyla said in a worried tone.

"Well I cant let you go out there with me." John said.

"Why not?"

"Because I love you." John blurted out just before taking a deep breath. _There……finally, its out in the open so she knows._

"What did you say?" Teyla asked in a much softer tone. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I love you." John repeated so she could believe it. He walked a few steps towards her. "I have pretty much since the day I first met you."

Teyla closed her eyes and let all of her awkward feelings about telling him rush out of her body. She could feel the weight of he feelings lifting off her shoulders.

John didn't know what to think about all this. He just told her how he felt about her and now she was just sitting there. He was so confused my this. He didn't really know what to think.

Teyla sighed and stood up. "Teyla…say something." John was starting to get a little worried. What if she didn't feel the same way as he did? What would he do if that happened?

Then suddenly and without any warning, teyla limped over to him and kissed him. This caught him by surprise but it told him exactly how she felt about him. They were so caught up in the moment that they didn't even notice the door open and Beckett appear in the doorway.

Carson smiled and just stood there in complete silence. Then finally Teyla opened her eyes, saw him there, and pulled away from John.

"Dr. Beckett……how long have you been standing there?" Teyla asked almost in shock. He just continued to smirk

"Long enough love." He said.

John turned around to see the friendly scottsman. "So Doc……any news yet?" he asked and was answered by a disappointed look.

The anger and irritation grew in John once again making him frantically pace . "How long do they expect me to just…." John's sentence trailed off as a familiar feeling fell over him. He began to feel dizzy like he did the last time the artifact was turned on.

"John?" Teyla said wondering why he stopped moving. His back was turned to her so she couldn't tell from the look on his face.

"John……what's wrong?" Beckett asked as he walked a little closer to him.

John was about to say something when a tsunami of blinding pain crashed into his body with so much force that his knees buckled and he fell to the floor holding his head in an attempt to make the pain go away.

"Oh my god." Teyla said. She watched him with horror filled eyes as she gently got down onto her knees in front of him. It was if she wasn't even there. The pain was so bad that everything in his surroundings disappeared from his sight and all of the sound faded away leaving nothing but the pain. "John…..look at me." there was still no response.

John let out a low and painful moan and then without warning, the pain disappeared. He loosened his grip on his head and savored the feeling as if it were a piece of rare chocolate.

Beckett walked around him and helped Teyla off the floor and onto the bed so that he could check on John. John had both of his hands on the floor and his head down with his eyes closed. Beckett lifted his head up but there was still no response from him. He clicked his little flashlight on so that he could start assessing the problem when Johns eyes fluttered open.

"Doc……is that you?" he asked with his eyes squinted so he could make out who was in front of him. This had happened before when he and Teyla were taking a walk.

"Aye……you just gave us quite a scare." Beckett said. "How do you feel?"

"Do you really need to ask me that Doc?" John said as he looked up and was answered by a firm look. His vision had finally cleared enough to see some details. "My vision is a little off but other then that, I feel just peachy."

"Good." Carson said. "Lets get you up off this floor." Well, John thought he felt just peachy until he stood up and was overcome with a wave of dizziness that made him stagger to the side a bit. Beckett caught his arm just as John managed to catch the wall with his other hand to steady himself.

"It's okay Doc……I'm fine." John said in a semi-confident voice.

"You most certainly are not." Beckett said. "I just saw you fall to the floor in pain…..tell it to someone who will believe you." Once he felt that John wasn't going to fall over again, he walked over to a table and grabbed a tissue and handed it to him. John quickly wiped the blood from his nose.

"Are you okay now?" Beckett asked seeing a strange expression appear on John's face.

John slowly looked up from the tissue to see Beckett looking at him with a concerned look on his face. "I don't feel so good." John said in a soft tone. He turned his head as looked at Teyla for a few seconds before dropping to the floor.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_There you go……chapter 14 FINALLY! I know that it took me long enough. Hope you like it. Enjoy!_

**To be continued……**


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_Wow, people actually liked that chapter. I weren't sure on a couple parts in it but I guess it turned out okay after all. Here is chapter 15. Hope you like it._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

John could only hear faint voices at first when he came around. It sounded like Beckett and Weir were discussing something and they seemed worried.

"John." Teyla's voice made him open his eyes to see her. She was blurry but it was definitely her. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah." John said in a groggy voice. "What happened anyway?"

"You passed out again." Teyla said. She let out a deep sigh and rubbed the back of her neck.

John looked at her, his vision still clearing, and noticed what she was doing. "You okay?" Before she could get a chance to answer, John could see that Beckett was walking towards his bed.

"Glad to see you're finally awake." Beckett said. "How are you feeling?"

John blinked a couple times and then squinted his eyes to focus them on Beckett. "I feel fine Doc." John said as he began to sit up. He could feel Beckett's hand on his shoulder and understood why. About half way up into a sitting position, he was hit with a wave of dizziness crashed into him making him give up and lay back down.

"You need to lie still son." Carson said with his hand still on his shoulder, obviously afraid that he would try again. "And for the record…..you're not fine."

"Well, aside for being a little dizzy and my vision being a little off, I feel fine." John clarified and received a worried look from both Beckett and Teyla.

"Say that again about the vision." Beckett said.

"I said my vision is a little off…….kinda unfocused but it only happens when that damn device gets turned on. After a while it wears off." John said and again made another attempt at sitting up. He had the same reaction as he did earlier, he became dizzy again.

Teyla looked at Beckett, then back at John, and then back at Beckett as if she were trying to figure out what was going on. "What does that mean?" Teyla asked in a confused tone.

"Nothing right now." Beckett said. He turned back to John with a worried look on his face. "How many times has this happened to you anyway?"

"A few times……..mostly the stuff that's been happening recently." John said just before squinting his eyes shut.

"John?" Beckett said trying to get his attention. John opened his eyes to see both Teyla and Beckett staring at him with concern splattered all over their faces.

"They haven't found Kavanaugh yet." John said feeling his head begin to ache.

"How do you know that?" Beckett asked with a confused look on his face.

"Because he is near the infirmary." John said seeing the confused look on Beckett's face get even worse. "Look……McKay said that the thing only has a fifty foot range so that means he is within a fifty foot radius of the infirmary."

"What if he turns it on again?" Teyla asked receiving a surprised look from everyone because she had been fairly quiet until now.

"I'll go radio Dr. Weir about it." Beckett said just before walking out of the infirmary all together.

John looked over at Teyla to see a familiar look on her face. It was a look of fear and concern for him. "You okay?" He asked in a soft tone.

"I am worried about you." she said with a sad look on her face that almost made John want to cry. "This keeps happening to you and there is nothing we can do for you……." she said. "There is nothing I can do for you." she added in a softer tone.

"Teyla……I'm….." John's sentence got cut short by a blinding pain that had John arching off the mattress in pain.

"Oh no." Teyla said with a look of horror clear on her face. "Dr. Beckett!" she yelled and just a few seconds later, Beckett came flying into the infirmary. By this time, John was laying on the mattress curled up into a ball holding his head.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"I thought I'd find you here." Kavanaugh said as he approached Weir in the room where her and Rodney were trying to find out where he was.

"Kavanaugh…….where have you been?" Weir asked in a firm tone. "We had to confine everyone into their quarters because of you."

"Well, that's just too bad now isn't it?" he said in a strange voice that made Weir feel quite uneasy. She looked around the room real quick and noticed that McKay had disappeared on her.

"Kavanaugh…..I don't know what you are planning on doing but its in your best interest that you stop right now." she said in the same firm voice as before.

"Oh….you mean you want me to turn this off?" Kavanaugh said holding the artifact up so she could clearly see that it was on.

"Yes…..of course." She said looking strait into his eyes. Neither her nor Kavanaugh noticed McKay sneaking up behind Kavanaugh with a laptop in his hand. He lifted it up as high as he could without Kavanaugh noticing him there and with one swift swing, he caught Kavanaugh on the top of the head making the laptop break into several pieces and making him fall to the floor unconscious.

Weir let out a sigh of relief and bent down to get the Artifact. Once she had it firmly in her grasp, she quickly turned it off and took a deep breath. "Well done Rodney." she said with a smile on her face.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

All of the sudden, all of the pain was completely gone. John knew something must have happened for the device to be turned off. Teyla noticed that he was no longer in pain when she looked at his face.

"John…..are you okay?" she asked in a soft tone. He wanted to say something but didn't feel like destroying such a beautiful moment of pain free silence. She gently grabbed his hand and rubbed the back of it with her other hand.

"I'm fine Teyla." John said knowing that she wouldn't believe him because of the way he looked. He was breathing heavy and was pale. She could see sweat beaded off his head and blood running down from his nose.

John rolled onto his back and casually wiped the blood from his nose. He knew that Teyla was worried about him but there was absolutely nothing he could do or say to make her so she wasn't worried.

"How are you feeling son?" Beckett said with concern as he checked John's vitals. "And don't even think about telling me that you feel fine because I don't buy it."

"I feel the same as I did before…..only worse." he said telling the complete and honest truth. Teyla looked at him and then up at Beckett with concern splattered all over her face.

"What do you mean by worse?" Beckett asked as he continued with his examination.

"Well, before, there was time for it to all wear off. Now I have to wait all over again." John said.

"What about your vision?" Teyla asked in a concerned tone as she looked into his eyes.

"It's all blurry." John said as he blinked them to try and focus them. "But that is pretty much normal lately."

"Well, hang in there…..I'm sure they'll find him soon." Beckett said. Suddenly, Beckett heard Weir's voice over his radio.

"Carson…..are you there?" she asked

He touched his radio and answered. "This is Carson."

"We have good news." she started. "We found Kavanaugh and the artifact is turned off now."

"That's good news." Beckett said

"What is?" John asked only hearing one side of the conversation.

"Rodney hit him over the head with his laptop so we'll be having him brought in soon. I'll give you more details later. Weir out." she said disconnecting her radio.

Beckett stood there for a few seconds with a goofy grin on his face. "Dr. Beckett…….what was that about?" Teyla asked with a worried look on her face.

He took a deep breath and looked at both John and Teyla, his smile widening, and explained why he was so happy. "That was Dr. Weir……they found Dr. Kavanaugh. He no longer has the artifact."

Carson though that maybe Teyla would be happy about the news but her expression didn't change much. John's expression was quite different though. He let out a long sigh of relief and laid his head back on the pillow. "It's about time."

"Aye….it is about time." Beckett said with the same smile on his face. Teyla looked from John to Beckett and put on a fake smile.

"Would you excuse me?" She said and before John or Beckett could really say anything else, she grabbed her crutches and hobbled out of the infirmary.

Once she got outside the door, she stopped and closed her eyes. She thought that she would be happy about what she just heard but for some reason, she wasn't. Maybe it was because she had heard the same news so many times before that it seemed too good to be true, and maybe it was what she witnessed. The imaged of John arching off the mattress in such intense pain scared her beyond what anyone could imagine. She seriously thought that something really bad was going to happen that time. She was afraid of him dying.

_No, the ancestors would not be that cruel to take him from me now that we finally have each other. I just wish all of this would end soon. I am so afraid of something happening to him and him dying. If that ever happened, I do not know what I would do._

"Teyla……are you okay?" A familiar voice made her open her eyes up quickly to see Kate Heightmeyer standing there with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes……I am fine." Teyla said deliberately not telling the truth.

"You don't look fine." She said.

"I am just tired and need some rest." Teyla said and without another word, she hobbled off on her crutches towards her room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

After laying on her bed for what seemed like an eternity, Teyla finally drifted to sleep.

"_John…what is wrong?" she asked with horror filled eyes as he dropped to the floor on his knees and screamed in pain. She knelt down beside him and rubbed his back in a failing attempt to soothe him._

_Then, without any warning, the pain just stopped and John became completely motionless. "John……say something." there was no response. Teyla shook his arm a little bit which would usually get his attention so he could say something to her. He flopped over onto his side._

"_John?" Teyla said in a much softer tone fearing the worse. She moved to the other side of him and took his hand into hers. She reached up with her other hands and put two fingers against his wrist to feel for a pulse…… was nothing. Instead of freaking out, she decided to check again, but this time, she would check on his neck._

_She put her two fingers against the artery in his neck and gasped in horror. There was no pulse. He was gone. They had finally told each other how they felt and now it was the end for their relationship._

"_No John……you cannot do this to me."_

At that instant, Teyla bolted upright in her bed. "No." she said in almost a whisper as she breathed heavy. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. After wiping them away, she looked at her watch. She had only been asleep for a hour. It seemed like forever but it was only an hour. Thank god she was only dreaming. She put her radio piece on her ear.

"Dr. Beckett, are you there?" she asked. She needed to know that John was alright. She had to know after that nightmare she just had.

"This is Dr. Beckett. What can I do for you Teyla?" he asked recognizing the voice immediately.

"How is John doing?" she asked hoping that everything would be fine.

"He's doing just fine love." He said in a happy tone. "As a matter of fact, he's getting his strength back much faster than before so I expect that I will be releasing him either tonight or tomorrow morning."

"That is good to hear." Teyla said with a smile on her face. It was the best news in the world after what happened earlier and the nightmare she had. "Thank you." she said and before Beckett could say anything else, she clicked her radio off.

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_Well, there you go…chapter 15. I really hope you like it. It's a little bit slower than the previous chapter……I think(personal opinion I guess)……there is some whumpage in it. I will try to update as soon as I can so please……tell me what you think about this chapter._


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_Sorry about the long wait. I started another project that I got busy with. I thought that I already had this chapter written on my computer but I didn't. That's another reason why it took so long to update. Within the next few chapters, there will be some loose ends tied up that people have commented about. And speaking of that, thank you to all of you who reviewed chapter 15. Its really a great help and I know I have already said that many times but I had to say it again._

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"Dr. Heightmeyer?" Teyla called outside the door of Kate Heightmeyer's office.

"Come on in." She said from inside the room prompting Teyla to come in. After opening the door, she took a deep breath, readying herself to tell her what she had dreamt about. "Nice to see you again Teyla…..please, have a seat." Teyla slowly walked over to the seat and sat down opposite Heightmeyer.

"I'm glad that you came back here to see me…..when I saw you last, you didn't look so good." Heightmeyer said with a concerned look on her face.

"I was tired." Teyla said with a sad look on her face. She took a deep breath and continued. "That is not why I came here though."

"Oh?" Heightmeyer said. "Are you having bad dreams again?"

"Yes." Teyla quickly said. She hesitated for a minute but then continued. "I know that Dr. Kavanaugh is not going to hurt anyone anymore, but I keep dreaming of John being dead."

"Why do you think you keep having these dreams?" Heightmeyer asked with a curious look on her face.

"I do not know." Teyla said. "Perhaps it is because I am afraid of it happening. Or maybe it is something else."

"I think that maybe it is in fact because you are afraid of it happening." Heightmeyer said. "How long have the two of you known each other?"

"Since your people found Atlantis." Teyla said. She took a deep breath and continued, this time, getting more into detail. "When he came to Athos, he was very nice and trusting of me and my people. Then when our camp was destroyed, he rescued the rest of the people that remained. He has defended me many times when others have suspected me of ill intentions."

"He trusts you." Heightmeyer said point blank.

"Yes." Teyla answered. "He has always trusted me and been very accepting of my people."

"The bond that the two of you share is not as common around here as people may think." She said. "Mostly everyone is loyal to one another and there is tremendous team support all around. The bond that you and John share is much different then that."

"It is stronger." Teyla confirmed with a confident look in her eyes and a small smile on her face. "I have noticed before in the past but have not discussed it with anyone." She took a deep breath and realized that they had drifted off the primary subject. "When he told me that he loved me, I did not know what to think. As if it were not real."

"So……you are afraid that he will die." Heightmeyer started but before Teyla could get a word in, she continued. "Are you afraid that if you do lose him, that you will not find the love and comfort that you find with him again?"

It was as if Heightmeyer was reading her mind. That was exactly what she was afraid of. She knew that someday he would die like all people did, but she was afraid of it happening much too early. "Yes."

"Well, I would like to leave you with that thought which I want you to think about for a day or two." Heightmeyer said as she slowly stood up. "When you come back, let me know how you feel about it then after you have brought them to light."

Teyla slowly nodded as she walked to the door. "Thank you." Teyla said just before walking out the door.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Okay Rodney….what's going on?" Weir asked as she walked into the lab with an impatient look on her face.

"I ah…..found some more information about the artifact." McKay said. He took a deep breath and continued. "But I don't think you'll like it."

"What do you mean? How come?" Weir asked with a confused look on her face as she walked over to the table and sat down opposite McKay.

"Well, according to the extra notes I found in the ancient database….."

"Rodney!" Weir snapped making him jump to the important part.

"It has to be shorted out." McKay blurted out with a look of concern on his face. "As a matter of fact, it's the only way it _can_ be destroyed."

"Okay…….so how do we do that?" Weir asked still just as confused as before.

"My only guess is that we drop it into the ocean." Rodney said.

"Okay…..lets do it then." Weir said as she got up from her seat, ready to leave.

"Look, it's not that easy." McKay said

"What do you mean, not that easy?" Weir asked with a mixture of confusion and frustration laced in her words.

"It has to be…..on……when it hits the water." McKay said.

"Say that again." Weir said not believing what he was telling her.

"It has to be on." McKay said.

"We cannot turn the artifact back on….there has to be another way." Weir knew that she could not do what he said. Turning the artifact on meant putting John's life in danger and she just couldn't do that.

"There is not other way." McKay said.

"Is no other way to do what?" John said appearing in the doorway of the lab.

"John." Weir said almost in shock at the sight of John in the doorway. "What are you doing out of the infirmary?"

"I was released." John said before turning to McKay. "No other way to do what?" McKay had a look of fear on his face as he prepared himself for how John would react to what he had to say.

"No other way to ah…..destroy the artifact." McKay said.

"There's only one way to destroy it?" John asked making McKay nod in confirmation. John walked over and sat at the table opposite McKay. "Okay…..I'm listening." he said as he crossed his arms over his chest, eager to hear what McKay had to say.

"It has to be shorted out." McKay said getting strait to the point.

"Okay." John said dropping his hands down to his side. "What are you waiting for then?"

"That's the thing." Weir said taking McKay's place so that if John were to get upset, it would be directed at both of them instead of just one. "The artifact has to be turned on in order to do that."

"Say that again." John said almost not believing what he was just told.

"It has to be turned on." Weir said. "Look, I know that its not good news, but…" Weir was interrupted.

"Not good news?" John said as he stood up. "Well, that's gotta be the biggest understatement of the year. Do you have any idea what that thing does?" Weir was about to say something when he continued. "Every time that thing gets turned on, the effects get worse."

"Well there is no other way." McKay said.

"Wonderful." John said in an unpleasant voice just before he turned around and walked out.

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_I know this chapter is a little short like the last one but it has some details that will come into play later. Again, thanks a lot to those who have reviewed my story so far. There will be at least a three or more chapters left. Not sure…there might be more. Hope you will come back to read the rest._


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or any of its original characters.

_So glad people are still reading this story. Thanks for the reviews. You guys are so awesome. Sorry about waiting so long updating. I got sidetracked big time. You all know how life just gets a little crazy sometimes. Not only that, I was working on a couple of other fan fiction stories. Also, writers block keeps rearing its ugly head at me even though I fight it for all I'm worth. Well, please read and review. And I hope you enjoy it. Still got another couple chapters left._

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John didn't know how he was going to tell Teyla about the latest news. He knew that she had gotten upset about it in the past and he didn't want to upset her even more. Before telling Teyla about everything, he needed to think about how and when he was going to tell her. He couldn't do any thinking with anyone around though so he decided to go out onto one of the balconies to think.

Once he stepped out onto the balcony, he walked over to the edge and took a deep breath of fresh ocean air. "So, you still come out here to think?" Teyla said making John jump and turn around to see Teyla sitting against the wall.

"Teyla, I didn't know you were out here." John said.

"Nobody did." Teyla said. "I also came out here to think." She said as she looked up at him. John gave her a small smirk as he walked over and sat down next to her. "Something Dr. Heightmeyer said to me that she wanted me to think about….well, that is what I am thinking about." She looked over at him. "You?"

"Just thinking about something McKay and Weir told me." John said. Teyla lifted her eyebrows as if to ask him what McKay and Weir told him. John took a deep breath and told her. "McKay figured out how to destroy the artifact."

A smile appeared on Teyla's face. "That is wonderful news." Teyla said but her smile quickly disappeared when she saw the look on John's face.

"He knows how to destroy the artifact but there's a catch." John said. He took a deep breath and continued before Teyla could say anything. "The artifact has to be turned on and dropped into the ocean."

"That is the only way?" She asked with a combination of confusion and sadness on her face.

"Well, I guess they could drop it into a glass of water but where's the fun in that?" John said in a bit of a sarcastic tone.

"Will that not have worse effects on you?" Teyla asked trying to get him to clarify it.

"I don't know." John said as he looked at her. "I guess that if I'm more than fifty feet away from it when its turned on it wont have much effect on me but I don't know what will happen when it hits the water."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You said you needed to see me?" Beckett said with a questioning look on his face as he walked into the lab where Weir and McKay had been discussing possible solutions for how they were going to get the artifact destroyed without hurting John in the process.

"Yes…..we thought that maybe you should be here for this discussion." Weir said.

"I figured out how the artifact has to be destroyed." McKay said. "I ah…….missed some of the notes in the ancient database that describes how it needs to be destroyed."

"Okay." Beckett said. "So you know how to destroy it now?"

"Yes." Weir said. "But it could cause some harm in the process."

"Harm……..just how much harm is it going te cause him?" Beckett said as he sat down at the table facing Weir and McKay.

"We aren't actually sure what is going to happen." Weir said. "But what we do know is that there is only one way to destroy it and that the artifact has to be turned on in order to do that."

"What do you mean turned on?" Beckett said. "You cant turn the bloody thing on…..have you even seen what it does to him?"

"Yes….we have seen what it does to him but there is no other way to destroy it." Weir said.

"Look…..you don't understand." Beckett said. "Every time that thing gets turned on, the effects get worse."

"Which is why we need to destroy it as soon as possible." Weir said. She paused for a second with a look on her face as if a light bulb had lit up in her head. "Wait a minute……we could send him through the gate."

"Is that such a good idea?" McKay asked as he looked from Weir to Beckett.

"It's a bloody terrible idea." Beckett said. "Even if you do send him through the gate, you still don't know how much it will effect him. What if something serious were to happen, all of my equipment would be here."

"Well we need to think of something to do." McKay said. "We need to destroy the artifact before it falls into the wrong hands….again"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

John didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't know how he was going to occupy himself until the rest of them figured out what they were going to do with the artifact or how when they were going to destroy it. He didn't want Teyla to get upset when it happened but it needed to happen. The sooner the better. Teyla had to go do something and left him sitting out on the balcony all by himself. So many things to think about and so little time. He needed to keep thinking positive. Not only for his own benefit but for Teyla's as well. She wasn't acting herself since this whole thing started and he didn't want to put her through any more upsets. She was strong but he knew that if something were to seriously go wrong, she might actually lose it.

John was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't even hear the door open. "God...what am I gonna do now?" John said out loud, honestly thinking that he was alone.

"Well, for starters, you could at lease let people know where you are so if we need to reach you and you don't have your radio on, like for instance right now, we might actually be able to find you." McKay said with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. That little hint of annoyance was enough to bring a smirk to John's face. Annoying McKay was something he definitely loved to do and he did it on a daily basis.

"What do you want McKay?" John asked a little annoyed back. Although he loved annoying McKay, he didn't enjoy being annoyed my him.

"Well, I was coming here to update you on what we have been discussing. Since you up and walked out before we could make you a part of the discussion, we had to come up with something completely without you." McKay said. "Its not what you would call a good plan but it is a plan nonetheless."

"And this plan is...?" John said trying to urge McKay to just spit it out.

"Well, first we are going to send you to the infirmary with Beckett and then we are going to go throw the artifact into the ocean." McKay said giving a smirk of satisfaction. Knowing that it was his plan and that it was the only way that the artifact could actually be destroyed, he knew that it would work. It had to work. There was nothing else that they could do short of locking it away in a box somewhere.

"That's it?" John said in an unsatisfied tone of voice.

"That's it?" McKay repeated. Now John knew that McKay was annoyed. Having John question a plan that he came up with wasn't something he was planned to handle. "What do you mean that's it? We have been down in the lab desperately trying to come up with a plan that would be not just effective but also safe for you. Not only that but it wasn't like you were actually there to voice your opinion or anything. Remember...you stormed out of the room to go and do god knows what."

"Okay calm down." John said trying to get McKay to calm down some. When McKay got mad, he tended to get into this loud, high pitched tone that was almost deafening. Especially if the person on the receiving end isn't used to it. "I didn't just leave because I was upset. I left so I could find Teyla to could tell her what was going on."

"Teyla?" Rodney said, apparently confused. John hadn't thought that Beckett was the only one that knew about him and Teyla.

"Never mind." John said realizing that McKay didn't know why he needed to talk to Teyla and if McKay couldn't figure it out, then he didn't need to know.

"You know…your plan sucks." John said still a little annoyed about them discussing things without him. After all, McKay was right. He did just get up and walk out and without a radio….there was no way that they could reach him unless they used the city wide intercom.

"Well I'm sorry Mr. Opinionated but it was all we could come up with when we really don't know what were up against." McKay said in a loud voice.

"McKay…there is a stargate….why not just send me through it and then destroy the device." John said emphasizing the obviousness.

McKay had a shocked look on his face. "Do you honestly think I'm that stupid…it was already thought of and it isn't gonna work."

"You didn't think of it?" John said with his eyebrows raised as if challenging him.

"Of course I did." McKay said with a look on his face as if he were hiding something. In fact…he was. Weir was the one to think of it first and he didn't want to admit it.

"No you didn't." John said seeing right through his lie.

McKay sighed. "No I didn't….but that's not the point." McKay said with a disappointed look on his face. "Weir suggested it and Beckett doesn't think it's a good idea."

"So you're saying that I'm gonna have to sit here while you turn that damn thing on….here…and hope that your plan to destroy it actually works." John said with an upset tone. What was he gonna do? They just wanted him to sit there and wait for the pain to come. He would be more then fifty feet away from it when they turn it on but they didn't know much about it and they weren't sure what would happen when they throw it into the water when its on.

"Look…Beckett just wants to be here when it happens just in case something happens and he needs some of his equipment." McKay said in a much calmer voice.

"I don't care what Beckett wants." John said getting up in McKay's face. "I'm the one who feels the pain and I don't wanna be here when the thing is turned on again."

"Well that's what's gonna happen." A voice from behind John made him turn around. It was Beckett. Why did he always happen to come at the opportune moment. "I thought of all the possibilities and I think its best if you're here when it happens."

"If I'm on another planet…nothing will happen so you wont need any equipment." John said. "Every time that damn thing gets turned on, the symptoms get worse….what's gonna happen when the thing shorts out?"

"No….I'm sorry but you're staying here." Beckett said in a firm voice.

"Don't I have a say in this?" John said with a look on his face. That look was something Beckett had seen before but he just couldn't place it. It was almost as if he was thinking it was the end of the world. And the truth is, he could possibly die from this. None of them actually knew what would happen to him when they short the device out. They didn't have any idea.

Beckett sighed with frustration. He knew he was gonna regret this decision. "Okay fine." He said. "We can gate off Atlantis but you better be right."

"Don't worry…I know I am." John said not realizing how conceited he sounded. This was going to be a lot better then he planned. Hopefully he was right. All he could do is hope for the best and get it over with as soon as possible.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_So there it is. I know that may have seemed like a slow chapter. Next chapter will be better. A lot more Shep whumpage. And I mean a lot. Again…sorry about waiting so long to update._

**To be continued…..**


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